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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 124 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. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  3. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  4. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  5. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  6. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  13. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  14. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  15. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  16. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  17. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  20. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  21. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  22. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.

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

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. bark — a dog's sound
  3. cue — a signal
  4. file — a tool
  5. saw — past of 'see'
  6. bark — to shout
  7. saw — the tool
  8. file — a document
  9. file — a line of people
  10. fork — a garden tool
  11. saw — the tool
  12. rock — music
  13. rock — to move gently
  14. rock — a stone
  15. cue — for pool
  16. mouse — for a computer
  17. cue — a hint
  18. march — the month
  19. bark — of a tree
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. fork — in a road
  23. march — the month
  24. fork — to eat with

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