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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. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  2. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  3. That was ________________ to happen.
  4. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  5. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  6. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  7. This piece is in a major ________________.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  10. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  11. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  19. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  20. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  21. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  22. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  23. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  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. mark — to pay attention
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. bound — certain
  4. bark — to shout
  5. bark — a dog's sound
  6. key — the most important part
  7. key — in music
  8. field — a subject
  9. trunk — of an elephant
  10. trunk — of a tree
  11. rule — government
  12. bound — obliged
  13. field — farmland
  14. bound — tied together
  15. key — for a lock
  16. field — for sport
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. mark — a trace
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. mark — a grade
  21. bark — of a tree
  22. rule — a law
  23. lie — to recline
  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