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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. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  5. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  6. What do you think of the new ________________?
  7. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  8. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  12. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  13. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  17. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  18. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. I'll be taking the ________________.
  21. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  22. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  23. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  24. She had a strange look on her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. face — to point toward
  3. march — music
  4. fine — all right
  5. bark — a dog's sound
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. tube — in a tire
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. court — for sport
  10. march — the month
  11. root — of a word
  12. bark — of a tree
  13. face — to confront
  14. court — of a king
  15. tube — a container
  16. root — the cause
  17. root — of a plant
  18. fine — high quality
  19. court — of law
  20. tube — the underground
  21. cabinet — a cupboard
  22. fine — a penalty
  23. bark — to shout
  24. face — part of the head

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