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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. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  2. This piece is in a major ________________.
  3. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  7. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  8. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  9. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  10. The ________________ took off on time.
  11. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  12. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  13. The King held a masked ________________.
  14. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  15. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  16. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  17. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  18. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  19. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  20. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  23. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  24. The kitten curled into a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — to shout
  2. key — in music
  3. patient — calm and waiting
  4. march — the month
  5. march — music
  6. ball — a great time
  7. rock — a stone
  8. rock — to move gently
  9. key — for a lock
  10. plane — an aircraft
  11. bark — of a tree
  12. chest — a box
  13. ball — a dance
  14. chest — of your body
  15. chest — of your body
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. plane — in geometry
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. plane — a tool
  20. bark — a dog's sound
  21. march — the month
  22. key — the most important part
  23. rock — music
  24. ball — a round shape

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