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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. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  2. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  5. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  11. That must've been a ________________.
  12. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  13. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  14. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  15. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  16. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  23. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  24. We have nothing to ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. present — the time now
  2. bark — of a tree
  3. rush — to hurry
  4. cap — a hat
  5. bark — to shout
  6. march — music
  7. present — a gift
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. game — a match
  10. can — a tin
  11. rush — a thrill
  12. bark — a dog's sound
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. hide — animal skin
  15. cap — of ice
  16. rush — hurry
  17. march — the month
  18. present — there
  19. game — wild animals
  20. can — to be able to
  21. march — the month
  22. cap — a lid
  23. can — a tin
  24. hide — to keep secret

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