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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. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  2. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  4. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  8. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  9. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  10. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  11. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  12. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  13. What do you think of the new ________________?
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  22. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — a dog's sound
  2. march — music
  3. cabinet — a cupboard
  4. dip — a sauce
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. hand — in cards
  7. drill — the tool
  8. leaves — lets stay
  9. leaves — of a tree
  10. leaves — to go away
  11. drill — army training
  12. bark — of a tree
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. drill — a practice
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. march — the month
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. hand — help
  19. bark — to shout
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. dip — to dunk
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. march — the month
  24. dip — to sink

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