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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. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  2. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. You don't need to ________________ round.
  8. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  9. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  10. We're almost out of ________________.
  11. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  12. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  13. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  14. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  15. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  16. The ________________ went through the wall.
  17. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  18. The water is too ________________.
  19. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  24. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. bark — of a tree
  3. march — the month
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. chair — to sit on
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. pop — to visit
  8. jam — to spread on bread
  9. jam — a tight spot
  10. pop — soda
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. jam — in traffic
  13. cold — an illness
  14. cold — the Cold War
  15. bark — to shout
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. march — music
  18. cold — not warm
  19. bark — a dog's sound
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. nail — on a finger
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. chair — a leader
  24. pop — music

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