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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 120 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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Word bank
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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: march · file · kick · wound · mate · rest · fine · season

  1. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  2. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  3. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  7. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  8. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  12. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  13. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  20. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  21. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  22. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  23. Have you found your soul ________________?
  24. Did you ________________ the meat?

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

Answer key

  1. fine — a penalty
  2. rest — what's left
  3. kick — with a leg
  4. season — in sport
  5. season — of the year
  6. rest — what's left
  7. march — the month
  8. mate — a friend
  9. wound — an injury
  10. march — music
  11. kick — in football
  12. fine — all right
  13. kick — a thrill
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. rest — a break
  16. file — a tool
  17. file — a document
  18. march — the month
  19. fine — high quality
  20. wound — an injury
  21. file — a line of people
  22. mate — to breed
  23. mate — a partner
  24. season — to add flavour

Multiple-meaning words list

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

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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