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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: last · pit · bark · craft · chest · roll · staff · march

  1. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  2. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  3. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  4. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  5. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  6. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  7. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  8. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  9. We're on a ________________ here.
  10. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  11. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  12. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  15. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  20. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  21. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  22. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. pit — in a race
  3. pit — a fruit stone
  4. chest — of your body
  5. chest — of your body
  6. bark — a dog's sound
  7. march — the month
  8. bark — to shout
  9. roll — on a roll
  10. roll — a list
  11. staff — a stick
  12. craft — a skill
  13. last — to go on
  14. pit — a hole
  15. craft — a handicraft
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. last — finally
  18. march — music
  19. roll — a cake
  20. chest — a box
  21. craft — boats
  22. march — the month
  23. last — final
  24. staff — employees

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