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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. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  2. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  4. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  5. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  6. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  7. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  8. The water is too ________________.
  9. The King held a masked ________________.
  10. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  11. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  14. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  15. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  18. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  19. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  20. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  21. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  22. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  23. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  24. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — to shout
  2. march — music
  3. rock — to move gently
  4. ball — a great time
  5. cold — the Cold War
  6. bank — of a river
  7. bank — for money
  8. cold — not warm
  9. ball — a dance
  10. cold — an illness
  11. bark — a dog's sound
  12. march — the month
  13. rock — a stone
  14. mark — to pay attention
  15. bark — of a tree
  16. march — the month
  17. chair — a leader
  18. chair — a professorship
  19. rock — music
  20. ball — a round shape
  21. mark — a trace
  22. mark — a grade
  23. chair — to sit on
  24. bank — for money

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