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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. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  2. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  3. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  4. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  7. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  8. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  16. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  17. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  20. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  21. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  22. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  23. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  24. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.

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

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. shower — a meteor shower
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. shower — rain
  5. mine — for digging
  6. bark — a dog's sound
  7. staff — employees
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. bowl — a football final
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. march — the month
  13. staff — employees
  14. march — the month
  15. chip — for betting
  16. bark — to shout
  17. bowl — a dish
  18. shower — to wash
  19. stick — to attach or keep to
  20. chip — to eat
  21. staff — a stick
  22. chip — in a computer
  23. bark — of a tree
  24. bowl — to roll

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