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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. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  6. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  7. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  11. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  12. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  13. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  16. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  17. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  18. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  19. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  20. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  23. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  24. I don't want to ________________ the boat.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — a dog's sound
  2. court — of law
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. court — for sport
  5. bass — the fish
  6. rock — music
  7. bark — of a tree
  8. court — of a king
  9. march — music
  10. bass — the instrument
  11. bark — to shout
  12. mark — a grade
  13. bass — low music
  14. march — the month
  15. lie — to recline
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. mark — a trace
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. calf — of the leg
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. march — the month
  22. mark — to pay attention
  23. rock — a stone
  24. rock — to move gently

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