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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 ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  2. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. We're on a ________________ here.
  4. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  7. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  8. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  9. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  10. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  11. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  12. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  13. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  14. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  19. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  20. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  21. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  22. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  23. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  24. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. march — music
  3. roll — on a roll
  4. mark — a grade
  5. march — the month
  6. chair — a leader
  7. roll — a list
  8. bark — a dog's sound
  9. rest — what's left
  10. roll — a cake
  11. bark — of a tree
  12. bark — to shout
  13. chair — a professorship
  14. chair — to sit on
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. lean — to bend
  17. march — the month
  18. rest — a break
  19. mark — to pay attention
  20. lean — thin
  21. trunk — of a tree
  22. lean — to rest against
  23. trunk — of an elephant
  24. mark — a trace

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