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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. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  2. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  3. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  6. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  7. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  10. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  11. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  14. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  15. The ________________ went through the wall.
  16. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  17. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  22. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  23. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  24. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the sport
  2. rule — to rule out
  3. squash — to crush
  4. degree — from a university
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. degree — an amount
  7. bark — of a tree
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. squash — the vegetable
  10. nail — on a finger
  11. rule — government
  12. band — a ring
  13. lie — to recline
  14. fork — in a road
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. bark — to shout
  17. bark — a dog's sound
  18. band — a music group
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. degree — temperature
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. rule — a law
  23. fork — a garden tool
  24. fork — to eat with

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