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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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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. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  2. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  5. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  6. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  9. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  13. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  14. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. My mare is ________________ in color.
  20. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  21. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  22. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  23. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — a law
  2. staff — a stick
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. staff — employees
  5. bark — to shout
  6. staff — employees
  7. spring — the season
  8. bowl — a dish
  9. rule — government
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. bay — a part of the sea
  13. branch — a division
  14. bay — to keep at bay
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. spring — of water
  18. sharp — clever
  19. bay — a horse colour
  20. rule — to rule out
  21. bark — a dog's sound
  22. bowl — a football final
  23. bowl — to roll
  24. spring — a coil

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