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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. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  10. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  11. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  17. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  18. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  19. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  20. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  21. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  22. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  23. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  24. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. march — the month
  3. leaves — lets stay
  4. wind — moving air
  5. game — wild animals
  6. track — a song
  7. march — the month
  8. track — to keep track
  9. bark — a dog's sound
  10. leaves — to go away
  11. craft — a handicraft
  12. game — a match
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. bark — to shout
  15. march — music
  16. chair — to sit on
  17. leaves — of a tree
  18. bark — of a tree
  19. craft — boats
  20. wind — to turn a key
  21. chair — a professorship
  22. chair — a leader
  23. craft — a skill
  24. track — a path

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