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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 sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  2. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  7. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  8. Did you ________________ the button?
  9. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  12. We're on a ________________ here.
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  15. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  19. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  22. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  23. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  24. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?

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

Answer key

  1. bark — to shout
  2. season — in sport
  3. bark — of a tree
  4. march — the month
  5. bound — certain
  6. bound — tied together
  7. march — music
  8. press — to push
  9. bark — a dog's sound
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. roll — on a roll
  13. bound — obliged
  14. rule — to rule out
  15. ruler — a monarch
  16. march — the month
  17. press — newspapers
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. roll — a cake
  20. season — of the year
  21. press — a publisher
  22. rule — a law
  23. roll — a list
  24. rule — government

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