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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 were using a ________________ as a seat.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. The tickets are free of ________________.
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  11. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  14. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  15. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  16. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  17. David sat on the ________________.
  18. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  19. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  20. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  21. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  22. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  23. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  24. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. rock — a stone
  3. net — after costs
  4. charge — electricity
  5. net — for catching
  6. charge — a price
  7. net — in sport
  8. march — the month
  9. face — to point toward
  10. rock — music
  11. fork — a garden tool
  12. march — the month
  13. swing — music
  14. charge — in control
  15. face — part of the head
  16. fork — to eat with
  17. swing — to play on
  18. rock — to move gently
  19. swing — in golf
  20. fork — in a road
  21. face — to confront
  22. bark — a dog's sound
  23. bark — to shout
  24. bark — of a tree

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