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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: pop · bark · bay · rash · march · chest · fork · ball

  1. The King held a masked ________________.
  2. My mare is ________________ in color.
  3. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  8. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  9. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  10. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  13. We're almost out of ________________.
  14. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  15. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  16. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  19. You don't need to ________________ round.
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  23. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  24. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a dance
  2. bay — a horse colour
  3. chest — a box
  4. rash — hasty
  5. fork — to eat with
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. ball — a great time
  8. bark — to shout
  9. fork — in a road
  10. bark — of a tree
  11. march — music
  12. fork — a garden tool
  13. pop — soda
  14. chest — of your body
  15. bay — a part of the sea
  16. bark — a dog's sound
  17. march — the month
  18. pop — music
  19. pop — to visit
  20. march — the month
  21. rash — a series
  22. chest — of your body
  23. ball — a round shape
  24. bay — to keep at bay

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