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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. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  2. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  7. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  12. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  13. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  14. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  15. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  18. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  19. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  20. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  21. The tickets are free of ________________.
  22. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — animal skin
  2. bark — of a tree
  3. spell — letters
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. charge — in control
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. file — a document
  9. rule — government
  10. spell — magic
  11. staff — a stick
  12. capital — a city
  13. charge — electricity
  14. spell — a short time
  15. rule — to rule out
  16. file — a line of people
  17. staff — employees
  18. staff — employees
  19. rule — a law
  20. bark — a dog's sound
  21. charge — a price
  22. file — a tool
  23. capital — money
  24. bark — to shout

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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