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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 116 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. He was locked up in a ________________.
  2. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  5. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  6. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  9. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  12. The ________________ took off on time.
  13. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  14. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  15. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  16. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  17. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  18. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  21. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  22. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. There's a computer ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in a prison
  2. march — music
  3. rash — hasty
  4. bark — to shout
  5. plane — a tool
  6. present — the time now
  7. march — the month
  8. bowl — a football final
  9. chip — to eat
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. present — there
  12. plane — an aircraft
  13. cell — a phone
  14. plane — in geometry
  15. present — a gift
  16. cell — in biology
  17. bark — a dog's sound
  18. bowl — a dish
  19. march — the month
  20. chip — for betting
  21. bark — of a tree
  22. bowl — to roll
  23. rash — a series
  24. chip — in a computer

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