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

Word bank: drill · bark · march · ruler · cap · arm · pitch · bear

  1. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  2. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  3. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  4. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  7. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  8. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  9. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  10. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  11. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  12. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. My father caught me by the ________________.
  15. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  18. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  19. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  20. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  21. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  22. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  23. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — a monarch
  2. bark — to shout
  3. drill — a practice
  4. pitch — completely
  5. march — music
  6. bark — a dog's sound
  7. cap — of ice
  8. bear — to put up with
  9. cap — a hat
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. pitch — a sports field
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. drill — the tool
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. bark — of a tree
  16. march — the month
  17. drill — army training
  18. arm — a part of something
  19. bear — the animal
  20. pitch — a sales talk
  21. cap — a lid
  22. bear — the animal
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. 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