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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. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  6. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  7. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  16. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  17. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  23. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  24. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. bound — certain
  3. bark — of a tree
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. bark — to shout
  6. bound — obliged
  7. dip — to dunk
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. season — in sport
  10. dip — a sauce
  11. season — of the year
  12. game — wild animals
  13. march — music
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. rush — to hurry
  16. rush — hurry
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. march — the month
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. bound — tied together
  22. safe — a strongbox
  23. dip — to sink
  24. game — a match

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