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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: track · cold · march · bound · lean · net · file · cap

  1. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  2. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  3. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. The water is too ________________.
  7. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  12. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  15. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  16. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  19. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  20. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  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. cap — a lid
  2. lean — to rest against
  3. file — a document
  4. net — after costs
  5. net — in sport
  6. cold — not warm
  7. march — the month
  8. track — to keep track
  9. bound — tied together
  10. track — a path
  11. cold — the Cold War
  12. cold — an illness
  13. bound — certain
  14. cap — a hat
  15. cap — of ice
  16. lean — to bend
  17. file — a line of people
  18. lean — thin
  19. march — the month
  20. track — a song
  21. bound — obliged
  22. file — a tool
  23. net — for catching
  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