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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. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  2. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  4. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  17. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  18. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  19. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  22. What do you think of the new ________________?
  23. The ball is in your ________________.
  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. lean — to rest against
  2. march — the month
  3. bound — tied together
  4. bark — a dog's sound
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. lean — thin
  7. court — of law
  8. bound — certain
  9. file — a document
  10. sharp — clever
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. file — a line of people
  14. bark — to shout
  15. file — a tool
  16. march — the month
  17. bound — obliged
  18. bark — of a tree
  19. cabinet — a cupboard
  20. march — music
  21. lean — to bend
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. court — for sport
  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