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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. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  2. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  3. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  7. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  8. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  9. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  10. My father caught me by the ________________.
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  17. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  18. Have you settled on a ________________?
  19. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  20. Have you met the new head ________________?
  21. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  22. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  23. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. bark — a dog's sound
  3. rule — to rule out
  4. mate — a partner
  5. march — the month
  6. rule — government
  7. coach — pulled by horses
  8. bark — of a tree
  9. mate — a friend
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. march — music
  12. board — to get on
  13. bark — to shout
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. march — the month
  16. date — the fruit
  17. arm — a part of something
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. board — a flat piece
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. rule — a law
  23. board — a committee
  24. mate — to breed

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