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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 band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  2. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  3. The King held a masked ________________.
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  7. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  10. My mare is ________________ in color.
  11. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  12. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  13. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  16. That must've been a ________________.
  17. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  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. march — music
  2. hide — animal skin
  3. ball — a dance
  4. rush — hurry
  5. wound — an injury
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. bay — a part of the sea
  8. wound — an injury
  9. bark — of a tree
  10. bay — a horse colour
  11. ball — a great time
  12. bay — to keep at bay
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. rush — to hurry
  16. rush — a thrill
  17. ball — a round shape
  18. land — a country
  19. march — the month
  20. land — ground
  21. march — the month
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. land — to come down
  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