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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 116 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. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  2. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. The King held a masked ________________.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  9. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. The tickets are free of ________________.
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — rain
  2. ball — a round shape
  3. net — in sport
  4. bark — to shout
  5. net — for catching
  6. ball — a dance
  7. march — the month
  8. ball — a great time
  9. charge — electricity
  10. net — after costs
  11. march — music
  12. shower — to wash
  13. charge — in control
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. charge — a price
  17. march — the month
  18. bark — of a tree

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