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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. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  2. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  3. I can't ________________ this cold.
  4. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  7. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  8. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  9. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  13. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  14. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  15. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  16. My mare is ________________ in color.
  17. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  18. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  21. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  22. The King held a masked ________________.
  23. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  24. We took cover from the thunder ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — to wash
  2. bark — a dog's sound
  3. stand — to bear
  4. bay — a part of the sea
  5. march — the month
  6. bark — to shout
  7. stand — on your feet
  8. calf — of the leg
  9. ball — a great time
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. march — the month
  12. bay — to keep at bay
  13. deal — a big deal
  14. stand — for spectators
  15. deal — an agreement
  16. bay — a horse colour
  17. ball — a round shape
  18. bark — of a tree
  19. march — music
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. ball — a dance
  23. deal — to handle
  24. shower — rain

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