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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. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. There's no middle ________________.
  9. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  12. The tickets are free of ________________.
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  20. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  23. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — a dog's sound
  2. bark — of a tree
  3. ground — the earth
  4. march — music
  5. snap — to snap out of it
  6. last — finally
  7. rash — a series
  8. ground — a position
  9. race — humankind
  10. last — final
  11. race — a contest
  12. charge — a price
  13. ground — crushed
  14. rash — hasty
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. snap — to click
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. last — to go on
  19. bark — to shout
  20. charge — in control
  21. march — the month
  22. race — the arms race
  23. charge — electricity
  24. march — the month

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