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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. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  3. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  4. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  7. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  8. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  13. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  14. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  15. She's very handy with a ________________.
  16. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  17. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  18. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  24. Don't do anything ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. rash — on the skin
  3. bark — of a tree
  4. club — for dancing
  5. stock — shares
  6. bark — a dog's sound
  7. club — a group
  8. bark — to shout
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. saw — the tool
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. pound — to hit hard
  13. club — for golf
  14. pitch — completely
  15. saw — the tool
  16. stock — goods
  17. pound — for dogs
  18. pound — a weight
  19. rash — a series
  20. pitch — a sales talk
  21. march — the month
  22. march — music
  23. pitch — a sports field
  24. rash — hasty

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