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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. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  8. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  9. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  10. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  14. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  17. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  18. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  19. We're on a ________________ here.
  20. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  23. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. net — for catching
  3. file — a line of people
  4. file — a document
  5. march — the month
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. mark — to pay attention
  8. mark — a grade
  9. bark — of a tree
  10. rock — music
  11. net — in sport
  12. net — after costs
  13. rock — a stone
  14. roll — a list
  15. file — a tool
  16. roll — a cake
  17. rock — to move gently
  18. mark — a trace
  19. roll — on a roll
  20. bark — to shout
  21. game — a match
  22. bark — a dog's sound
  23. march — music
  24. game — wild animals

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