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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. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  2. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  3. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. He was locked up in a ________________.
  6. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  7. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  8. My mare is ________________ in color.
  9. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  10. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  11. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  14. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  15. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  18. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  19. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  20. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  21. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  22. We're on a ________________ here.
  23. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  24. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to succeed
  2. bark — a dog's sound
  3. pit — a hole
  4. march — the month
  5. cell — in a prison
  6. roll — a cake
  7. cell — in biology
  8. bay — a horse colour
  9. vault — an arched ceiling
  10. pit — a fruit stone
  11. vault — in gymnastics
  12. march — the month
  13. bay — to keep at bay
  14. cell — a phone
  15. vault — a safe
  16. march — music
  17. bark — to shout
  18. pass — to spend time
  19. roll — a list
  20. bay — a part of the sea
  21. pass — a permit
  22. roll — on a roll
  23. pit — in a race
  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