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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 124 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. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  3. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  4. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  7. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  16. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  21. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  22. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  23. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  24. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. pit — in a race
  3. pit — a hole
  4. drill — the tool
  5. branch — a division
  6. chair — to sit on
  7. mark — to pay attention
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. chair — a professorship
  10. march — music
  11. bark — to shout
  12. march — the month
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. mark — a trace
  16. drill — army training
  17. rash — hasty
  18. branch — of a tree
  19. rash — a series
  20. bark — of a tree
  21. drill — a practice
  22. chair — a leader
  23. mark — a grade
  24. pit — a fruit stone

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