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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. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  3. Have you met the new head ________________?
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  6. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  7. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  8. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  11. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  18. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  19. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  20. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  21. This piece is in a major ________________.
  22. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  23. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  24. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. key — for a lock
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. march — the month
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. bark — to shout
  7. face — to confront
  8. face — to point toward
  9. march — music
  10. face — part of the head
  11. rock — to move gently
  12. march — the month
  13. season — in sport
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. bark — of a tree
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. coach — pulled by horses
  18. rock — a stone
  19. mouse — for a computer
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. key — in music
  22. key — the most important part
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. rock — music

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