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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: bound · track · fine · march · mouse · bat · bulb · file

  1. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  2. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  3. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  9. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  10. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  17. The light ________________ burned out.
  18. I've got to change the light ________________.
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  21. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  22. That was ________________ to happen.
  23. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  24. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — for a computer
  2. fine — a penalty
  3. fine — high quality
  4. track — a path
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. bat — the animal
  7. track — a song
  8. fine — all right
  9. march — the month
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. march — the month
  12. bound — tied together
  13. march — music
  14. bat — in an idiom
  15. bound — obliged
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. bulb — for light
  18. bulb — for light
  19. file — a line of people
  20. track — to keep track
  21. file — a document
  22. bound — certain
  23. bulb — of a plant
  24. file — a tool

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