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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 were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  3. Did you ________________ the button?
  4. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  5. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  8. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  11. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  12. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  13. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  14. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  15. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  16. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  17. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  18. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  21. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  22. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  23. Have you met the new head ________________?
  24. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — to shout
  2. kick — in football
  3. press — to push
  4. bass — the fish
  5. bass — low music
  6. march — the month
  7. march — the month
  8. press — a publisher
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. bass — the instrument
  11. bark — a dog's sound
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. coach — pulled by horses
  14. lean — to bend
  15. bark — of a tree
  16. kick — a thrill
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. lean — to rest against
  19. march — music
  20. racket — a loud noise
  21. kick — with a leg
  22. lean — thin
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. press — newspapers

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