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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: file · stick · jam · stand · fall · march · roll · face

  1. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  2. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  4. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  5. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  8. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  9. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  10. We're on a ________________ here.
  11. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  14. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  15. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  18. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  19. I can't ________________ this cold.
  20. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  21. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  22. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  24. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. jam — in traffic
  2. march — the month
  3. fall — the season
  4. stand — for spectators
  5. face — to point toward
  6. face — part of the head
  7. fall — to drop
  8. face — to confront
  9. jam — a tight spot
  10. roll — on a roll
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. file — a line of people
  13. file — a document
  14. stand — on your feet
  15. fall — to drop
  16. file — a tool
  17. stick — to attach or keep to
  18. roll — a list
  19. stand — to bear
  20. jam — to spread on bread
  21. roll — a cake
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. march — the month
  24. march — music

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com