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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  2. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  6. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  7. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. Did you ________________ the button?
  12. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  13. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  16. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  17. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  18. 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. toast — the most admired
  2. march — the month
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. march — the month
  5. bark — a dog's sound
  6. toast — bread
  7. press — a publisher
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. wake — a trail
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. press — to push
  12. toast — a drink to someone
  13. press — newspapers
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. bark — of a tree
  16. wake — before a funeral
  17. bark — to shout
  18. 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