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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. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  2. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  3. David sat on the ________________.
  4. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  7. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  8. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  9. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  10. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  11. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  12. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  13. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  14. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  21. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  22. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  23. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  24. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — of a tree
  2. bowl — to roll
  3. swing — to play on
  4. bark — to shout
  5. march — the month
  6. bowl — a dish
  7. swing — in golf
  8. chest — a box
  9. pitch — a sales talk
  10. chest — of your body
  11. bear — to put up with
  12. pitch — completely
  13. swing — music
  14. snap — to snap out of it
  15. march — the month
  16. bear — the animal
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. pitch — a sports field
  19. march — music
  20. bowl — a football final
  21. bear — the animal
  22. snap — to click
  23. chest — of your body
  24. bark — a dog's sound

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