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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.

Make a worksheet

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: roll · march · scale · arm · stick · file · bark · ball

  1. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  2. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  3. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  8. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  9. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  10. We're on a ________________ here.
  11. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. My father caught me by the ________________.
  14. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. The King held a masked ________________.
  17. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  18. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  22. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  23. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  24. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a round shape
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. ball — a great time
  4. march — the month
  5. roll — a cake
  6. march — the month
  7. scale — for weighing
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. scale — size or range
  10. roll — on a roll
  11. bark — of a tree
  12. scale — in music
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. stick — to attach or keep to
  15. file — a document
  16. ball — a dance
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. arm — a part of something
  19. file — a line of people
  20. march — music
  21. roll — a list
  22. bark — a dog's sound
  23. bark — to shout
  24. file — a tool

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