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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.

Words on the sheet
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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: club · march · bark · cabinet · kick · last

  1. What do you think of the new ________________?
  2. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  3. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  7. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  8. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  9. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  10. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  13. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  14. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  17. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. kick — a thrill
  3. club — a group
  4. march — music
  5. last — final
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. bark — of a tree
  8. club — for golf
  9. march — the month
  10. club — for dancing
  11. last — finally
  12. kick — in football
  13. kick — with a leg
  14. cabinet — a cupboard
  15. last — to go on
  16. bark — to shout
  17. bark — a dog's sound
  18. march — the month

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