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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 120 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 band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  2. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  9. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  15. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  20. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  21. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  22. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  23. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  24. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.

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

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. track — to keep track
  3. spring — the season
  4. pass — to succeed
  5. march — the month
  6. ruler — a monarch
  7. march — the month
  8. bark — to shout
  9. bark — of a tree
  10. track — a song
  11. mine — for digging
  12. spring — a coil
  13. spring — of water
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. pass — a permit
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. track — a path
  20. pass — to spend time
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. bark — a dog's sound
  23. stick — to attach or keep to
  24. ruler — for measuring

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