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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. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  6. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  7. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  8. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  9. My father caught me by the ________________.
  10. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  11. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  16. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  17. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  18. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  19. We're on a ________________ here.
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  22. Have you found your soul ________________?
  23. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  24. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — of a tree
  2. march — the month
  3. toast — a drink to someone
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. mark — to pay attention
  6. toast — bread
  7. toast — the most admired
  8. bark — to shout
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. roll — a cake
  11. mate — to breed
  12. march — music
  13. season — in sport
  14. season — of the year
  15. mate — a friend
  16. roll — a list
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. mark — a grade
  19. roll — on a roll
  20. march — the month
  21. mark — a trace
  22. mate — a partner
  23. bark — a dog's sound
  24. arm — a part of something

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