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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. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  3. My father caught me by the ________________.
  4. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  7. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  8. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  9. He was locked up in a ________________.
  10. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  11. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  12. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  17. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  18. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  19. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  20. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  21. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  22. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — to shout
  2. pound — a weight
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. march — the month
  6. squash — the vegetable
  7. pound — to hit hard
  8. march — the month
  9. cell — in a prison
  10. bark — a dog's sound
  11. squash — the sport
  12. arm — a part of something
  13. court — for sport
  14. cell — in biology
  15. court — of law
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. squash — to crush
  18. pound — for dogs
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. stick — to attach or keep to
  21. bark — of a tree
  22. cell — a phone
  23. court — of a king
  24. march — 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