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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. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  2. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  3. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  7. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  8. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  9. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  10. Have you met the new head ________________?
  11. The King held a masked ________________.
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  15. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  18. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  21. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  22. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  23. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — to shout
  2. scale — size or range
  3. drill — a practice
  4. march — the month
  5. net — in sport
  6. ball — a round shape
  7. object — a thing
  8. bark — a dog's sound
  9. drill — army training
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. ball — a dance
  12. scale — in music
  13. net — for catching
  14. coach — pulled by horses
  15. object — an aim
  16. march — music
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. object — to protest
  19. net — after costs
  20. ball — a great time
  21. drill — the tool
  22. scale — for weighing
  23. bark — of a tree
  24. march — the month

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