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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 120 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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  3. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  4. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  5. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  6. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  9. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  12. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  13. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — high quality
  2. rule — to rule out
  3. rule — government
  4. fine — a penalty
  5. bark — of a tree
  6. bark — a dog's sound
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. fine — all right
  9. cap — a lid
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. cap — of ice
  12. bark — to shout
  13. rule — a law
  14. season — in sport
  15. mine — for digging
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. season — of the year
  18. cap — a hat

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