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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 116 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 band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  2. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  4. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  9. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  12. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  15. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  16. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  20. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. march — the month
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. stick — to attach or keep to
  5. track — to keep track
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. track — a song
  8. bark — of a tree
  9. trunk — of a tree
  10. last — final
  11. trunk — of an elephant
  12. bark — a dog's sound
  13. drill — the tool
  14. rule — a law
  15. rule — government
  16. rule — to rule out
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. march — the month
  19. bark — to shout
  20. drill — a practice
  21. drill — army training
  22. track — a path
  23. last — finally
  24. last — to go on

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