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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. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  5. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  6. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  12. David sat on the ________________.
  13. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  14. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  15. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  16. The King held a masked ________________.
  17. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  18. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  19. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  20. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  21. What do you think of the new ________________?
  22. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  23. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  24. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. cabinet — a cupboard
  3. march — the month
  4. lash — a whip stroke
  5. bark — a dog's sound
  6. race — humankind
  7. prune — to trim
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. ball — a round shape
  10. prune — to trim
  11. lash — an eyelash
  12. swing — to play on
  13. bark — of a tree
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. race — a contest
  16. ball — a dance
  17. march — music
  18. lash — to lash out
  19. race — the arms race
  20. bark — to shout
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. ball — a great time
  23. swing — in golf
  24. swing — 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