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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. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  7. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  8. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  9. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  10. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  11. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  12. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  13. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  18. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  21. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  22. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  23. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  24. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — bread
  2. mine — for digging
  3. march — music
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. bark — to shout
  7. bark — a dog's sound
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. cue — for pool
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. toast — a drink to someone
  12. cue — a hint
  13. fine — all right
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. march — the month
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. fine — high quality
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. march — the month
  20. fine — a penalty
  21. hide — animal skin
  22. toast — the most admired
  23. patient — calm and waiting
  24. cue — a signal

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