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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. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  2. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  5. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  6. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  10. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  11. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  14. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  17. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  24. A ________________ is just a dried plum.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — to shout
  2. court — of a king
  3. march — the month
  4. pitch — a sports field
  5. pitch — completely
  6. bark — of a tree
  7. march — the month
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. prune — to trim
  10. bark — a dog's sound
  11. pitch — a sales talk
  12. court — of law
  13. race — a contest
  14. rock — to move gently
  15. march — music
  16. rock — a stone
  17. race — the arms race
  18. prune — to trim
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. race — humankind
  21. court — for sport
  22. rock — music
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. prune — the fruit

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