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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. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  2. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  3. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  4. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  5. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  6. My father caught me by the ________________.
  7. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  8. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  9. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  10. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  11. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  18. That was ________________ to happen.
  19. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  20. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  23. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — in a road
  2. fork — a garden tool
  3. bound — obliged
  4. chest — of your body
  5. bark — of a tree
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. march — music
  8. fork — to eat with
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. staff — employees
  11. bark — a dog's sound
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. staff — a stick
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. arm — a part of something
  16. bound — tied together
  17. staff — employees
  18. bound — certain
  19. bark — to shout
  20. chest — of your body
  21. march — the month
  22. straw — dry grass
  23. chest — a box
  24. march — the month

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