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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. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  2. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  4. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  5. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  8. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  9. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  12. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  13. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. There's no middle ________________.
  17. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — of a tree
  2. march — the month
  3. ground — crushed
  4. bark — to shout
  5. wave — of the sea
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. wave — a sudden rise
  8. wave — with your hand
  9. ruler — a monarch
  10. game — wild animals
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. pass — a permit
  13. pass — to succeed
  14. march — music
  15. shower — to wash
  16. ground — a position
  17. bark — a dog's sound
  18. ground — the earth
  19. shower — rain
  20. game — a match
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. pass — to spend time
  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