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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. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  2. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  3. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  4. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  5. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  6. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  7. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  8. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  9. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  10. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  11. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  18. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  21. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  22. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  23. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  24. The players ran onto the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — army training
  2. trunk — of a car
  3. fork — to eat with
  4. ground — the earth
  5. trunk — of a tree
  6. bark — of a tree
  7. foot — a measure
  8. fork — in a road
  9. bark — a dog's sound
  10. drill — the tool
  11. fork — a garden tool
  12. march — music
  13. trunk — of an elephant
  14. march — the month
  15. drill — a practice
  16. march — the month
  17. foot — part of the body
  18. pitch — completely
  19. ground — a position
  20. pitch — a sales talk
  21. bark — to shout
  22. foot — the bottom
  23. ground — crushed
  24. pitch — a sports field

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