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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. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  2. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  3. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  4. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  7. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  8. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  9. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  10. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  19. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  20. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  21. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  22. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  23. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  24. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — of a tree
  2. kick — with a leg
  3. deal — to handle
  4. club — for dancing
  5. march — the month
  6. bark — a dog's sound
  7. march — music
  8. chest — a box
  9. mark — to pay attention
  10. deal — an agreement
  11. bound — certain
  12. club — a group
  13. bark — to shout
  14. club — for golf
  15. bound — obliged
  16. mark — a grade
  17. march — the month
  18. bound — tied together
  19. kick — a thrill
  20. chest — of your body
  21. kick — in football
  22. chest — of your body
  23. deal — a big deal
  24. mark — a trace

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