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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 116 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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468
Word bank
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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. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  4. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  5. He was locked up in a ________________.
  6. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  7. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  10. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  11. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  12. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  13. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  14. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  15. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  16. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  17. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  18. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  19. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  20. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  23. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  24. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — government
  2. court — of law
  3. wave — of the sea
  4. bark — of a tree
  5. cell — in a prison
  6. wave — a sudden rise
  7. bore — to drill
  8. court — of a king
  9. lash — to lash out
  10. bark — to shout
  11. rest — what's left
  12. cell — a phone
  13. bore — gave birth
  14. rule — to rule out
  15. bore — to tire
  16. wave — with your hand
  17. lash — an eyelash
  18. rest — a break
  19. lash — a whip stroke
  20. bark — a dog's sound
  21. court — for sport
  22. cell — in biology
  23. rest — what's left
  24. rule — a law

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