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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 116 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 sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  2. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  3. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  4. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  11. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  14. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  17. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  18. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  19. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  20. The water is too ________________.
  21. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  22. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. bark — to shout
  2. staff — a stick
  3. staff — employees
  4. bark — a dog's sound
  5. march — the month
  6. cold — an illness
  7. bound — obliged
  8. pit — in a race
  9. march — the month
  10. staff — employees
  11. rock — a stone
  12. bound — certain
  13. rock — music
  14. bark — of a tree
  15. march — music
  16. deal — a big deal
  17. deal — to handle
  18. cold — the Cold War
  19. pit — a hole
  20. cold — not warm
  21. rock — to move gently
  22. deal — an agreement
  23. bound — tied together
  24. pit — a fruit stone

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