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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. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  2. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  3. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  4. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  5. That must've been a ________________.
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  8. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  9. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  10. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  11. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  12. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  13. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  14. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  15. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. He was locked up in a ________________.
  18. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  19. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  22. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  23. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  24. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — to roll
  2. rule — government
  3. mouse — for a computer
  4. row — a quarrel
  5. rush — a thrill
  6. saw — the tool
  7. bowl — a football final
  8. row — to paddle
  9. cell — a phone
  10. bark — to shout
  11. row — a line
  12. bowl — a dish
  13. rush — to hurry
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. cell — in biology
  16. saw — the tool
  17. cell — in a prison
  18. bark — of a tree
  19. rush — hurry
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. rule — a law
  23. bark — a dog's sound
  24. rule — to rule out

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