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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. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  2. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  5. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  8. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  9. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  10. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  11. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  12. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  13. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  19. How do you ________________ your surname?
  20. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  21. There's no middle ________________.
  22. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  23. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  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. spell — a short time
  2. kick — a thrill
  3. last — finally
  4. rule — a law
  5. bark — of a tree
  6. spell — magic
  7. ground — the earth
  8. rule — government
  9. kick — in football
  10. bear — the animal
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. kick — with a leg
  13. bear — to put up with
  14. bark — to shout
  15. last — final
  16. bark — a dog's sound
  17. last — to go on
  18. lie — to recline
  19. spell — letters
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. ground — a position
  22. bear — the animal
  23. ground — crushed
  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