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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. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  2. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  7. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  8. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  9. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  12. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  13. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  14. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  15. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  16. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  17. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  20. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  21. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  22. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  23. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  24. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a football final
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. spell — a short time
  4. march — music
  5. march — the month
  6. club — a group
  7. file — a document
  8. bark — to shout
  9. club — for dancing
  10. spell — letters
  11. bark — of a tree
  12. staff — employees
  13. bark — a dog's sound
  14. jam — a tight spot
  15. staff — employees
  16. jam — in traffic
  17. jam — to spread on bread
  18. march — the month
  19. spell — magic
  20. file — a line of people
  21. file — a tool
  22. club — for golf
  23. staff — a stick
  24. bowl — to roll

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