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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. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  2. The King held a masked ________________.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  5. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  10. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  11. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  12. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  18. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  19. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  20. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  23. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  24. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — to pay attention
  2. ball — a dance
  3. march — the month
  4. toast — bread
  5. ball — a round shape
  6. last — finally
  7. bark — to shout
  8. last — final
  9. prune — to trim
  10. pass — to spend time
  11. toast — a drink to someone
  12. pass — to succeed
  13. march — the month
  14. prune — to trim
  15. mark — a trace
  16. march — music
  17. bark — a dog's sound
  18. mark — a grade
  19. pass — a permit
  20. toast — the most admired
  21. last — to go on
  22. prune — the fruit
  23. ball — a great time
  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