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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. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  7. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  8. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  9. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  10. The tickets are free of ________________.
  11. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  12. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  13. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  14. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  15. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  16. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  17. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  18. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  19. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  20. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  21. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. Where did you ________________ them?
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. charge — electricity
  3. march — the month
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. march — music
  6. bark — a dog's sound
  7. bear — the animal
  8. chest — a box
  9. shower — to wash
  10. charge — a price
  11. mug — a cup
  12. bark — of a tree
  13. charge — in control
  14. shower — a meteor shower
  15. shower — rain
  16. chest — of your body
  17. chest — of your body
  18. bear — to put up with
  19. bear — the animal
  20. bark — to shout
  21. mug — a face
  22. rash — a series
  23. mug — to rob
  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