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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. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  3. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  4. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  5. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  8. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  9. When will it ________________ you to start?
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  13. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  14. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  15. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  16. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  19. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  20. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  21. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  22. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  23. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  24. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. bark — a dog's sound
  3. staff — employees
  4. suit — in cards
  5. rock — to move gently
  6. wake — a trail
  7. rock — music
  8. race — the arms race
  9. suit — to fit
  10. court — for sport
  11. march — music
  12. bark — to shout
  13. suit — clothes
  14. staff — a stick
  15. wake — to stop sleeping
  16. staff — employees
  17. march — the month
  18. race — humankind
  19. bark — of a tree
  20. rock — a stone
  21. race — a contest
  22. court — of law
  23. wake — before a funeral
  24. court — of a king

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