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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. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  4. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  5. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  6. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  7. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  10. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  11. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  12. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  13. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  20. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  21. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  22. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  23. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  24. You can't go backstage without a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. march — the month
  3. wind — moving air
  4. bark — to shout
  5. wind — moving air
  6. pass — to succeed
  7. march — the month
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. track — a path
  10. fork — a garden tool
  11. track — a song
  12. fork — in a road
  13. fork — to eat with
  14. last — final
  15. bark — of a tree
  16. march — music
  17. staff — a stick
  18. last — to go on
  19. bark — a dog's sound
  20. staff — employees
  21. staff — employees
  22. pass — to spend time
  23. track — to keep track
  24. pass — a permit

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