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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. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  2. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  7. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  8. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  9. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  10. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. That must've been a ________________.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  23. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  24. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — of a tree
  2. rash — hasty
  3. court — of a king
  4. march — the month
  5. march — the month
  6. bark — a dog's sound
  7. chair — a professorship
  8. bank — of a river
  9. rush — to hurry
  10. bank — for money
  11. court — for sport
  12. march — music
  13. chair — to sit on
  14. season — of the year
  15. rash — a series
  16. court — of law
  17. chair — a leader
  18. season — in sport
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. rush — a thrill
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. bank — for money
  23. rush — hurry
  24. bark — to shout

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