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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 120 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. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  2. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  6. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  7. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  8. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  9. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  10. The King held a masked ________________.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  13. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  18. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  19. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  20. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  21. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  22. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — a dog's sound
  2. chair — a leader
  3. ball — a round shape
  4. march — music
  5. fine — all right
  6. bark — to shout
  7. march — the month
  8. wave — with your hand
  9. fine — high quality
  10. ball — a dance
  11. land — to come down
  12. wave — a sudden rise
  13. rock — a stone
  14. march — the month
  15. chair — a professorship
  16. land — ground
  17. chair — to sit on
  18. bark — of a tree
  19. wave — of the sea
  20. rock — to move gently
  21. rock — music
  22. fine — a penalty
  23. land — a country
  24. ball — a great time

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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