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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: mate · bark · bay · chip · march · pass · cold · squash

  1. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  2. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  3. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  4. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  5. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  6. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  7. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  8. The water is too ________________.
  9. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. My mare is ________________ in color.
  12. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  13. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  14. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  15. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  16. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  17. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  20. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  21. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  22. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  23. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  24. Have you found your soul ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a part of the sea
  2. bark — to shout
  3. cold — the Cold War
  4. squash — the vegetable
  5. bark — a dog's sound
  6. mate — a friend
  7. march — the month
  8. cold — not warm
  9. march — the month
  10. mate — to breed
  11. bay — a horse colour
  12. pass — a permit
  13. chip — for betting
  14. chip — in a computer
  15. bay — to keep at bay
  16. chip — to eat
  17. pass — to spend time
  18. march — music
  19. squash — to crush
  20. cold — an illness
  21. squash — the sport
  22. pass — to succeed
  23. bark — of a tree
  24. mate — a partner

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