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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
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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: date · last · bark · rash · ball · bound · march · capital

  1. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  2. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  7. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  13. Have you settled on a ________________?
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. The King held a masked ________________.
  21. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  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. ball — a great time
  2. bark — of a tree
  3. last — finally
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. last — to go on
  6. bark — to shout
  7. bark — a dog's sound
  8. bound — tied together
  9. capital — a city
  10. capital — money
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. ball — a round shape
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. bound — certain
  15. date — the fruit
  16. rash — a series
  17. rash — hasty
  18. capital — a big letter
  19. bound — obliged
  20. ball — a dance
  21. last — final
  22. march — music
  23. march — the month
  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