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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 120 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. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  2. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. This piece is in a major ________________.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  8. The ________________ took off on time.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  11. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. Did you ________________ the button?
  14. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  17. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  18. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  19. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  20. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  21. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  22. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  23. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — a dog's sound
  2. present — there
  3. march — music
  4. key — in music
  5. march — the month
  6. march — the month
  7. present — the time now
  8. plane — an aircraft
  9. last — final
  10. key — for a lock
  11. bark — to shout
  12. last — to go on
  13. press — to push
  14. bark — of a tree
  15. track — a song
  16. press — newspapers
  17. key — the most important part
  18. plane — a tool
  19. press — a publisher
  20. present — a gift
  21. track — to keep track
  22. track — a path
  23. plane — in geometry
  24. last — finally

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