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

  1. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  2. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  3. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  6. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  9. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  10. The ________________ went through the wall.
  11. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  14. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  24. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — government
  2. straw — a straw man
  3. rule — to rule out
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. bark — of a tree
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. cap — a hat
  9. bark — a dog's sound
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. straw — to clutch at straws
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. cap — a lid
  14. cap — of ice
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. mine — for digging
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. sharp — clever
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. prune — to trim
  21. prune — to trim
  22. bark — to shout
  23. rule — a law
  24. nail — on a finger

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