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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
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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: kid · tube · file · shower · fine · court · march · suit

  1. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  5. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  8. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  9. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  10. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. When will it ________________ you to start?
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — high quality
  2. file — a document
  3. tube — a container
  4. shower — rain
  5. tube — in a tire
  6. tube — the underground
  7. fine — all right
  8. file — a tool
  9. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  10. suit — clothes
  11. court — for sport
  12. march — music
  13. suit — in cards
  14. kid — to tease
  15. suit — to fit
  16. shower — to wash
  17. kid — child
  18. file — a line of people
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. march — the month
  21. court — of a king
  22. court — of law
  23. march — the month
  24. fine — a penalty

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