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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 116 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. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  2. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  9. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  10. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  11. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  12. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  13. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  14. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  15. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  16. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  17. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  18. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  19. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  20. The ________________ went through the wall.
  21. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  22. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  23. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  24. He had ________________ pain while walking.

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

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. march — the month
  3. wind — moving air
  4. bark — to shout
  5. march — the month
  6. mate — a partner
  7. wind — moving air
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. content — videos and posts
  10. bark — a dog's sound
  11. mate — to breed
  12. wind — to turn a key
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. bark — of a tree
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. nail — on a finger
  17. mate — a friend
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. content — the amount
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. ruler — a monarch
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. content — happy
  24. calf — of the leg

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