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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. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  2. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  3. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  4. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  5. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  6. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  7. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  8. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  9. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  10. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  11. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  12. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  13. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  16. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  17. I'll be taking the ________________.
  18. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  19. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  20. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  21. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  22. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  24. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a quarrel
  2. bark — a dog's sound
  3. bear — the animal
  4. row — a line
  5. rule — to rule out
  6. fine — all right
  7. tube — a container
  8. rule — government
  9. bark — to shout
  10. leaves — lets stay
  11. file — a document
  12. leaves — to go away
  13. rule — a law
  14. row — to paddle
  15. tube — in a tire
  16. leaves — of a tree
  17. tube — the underground
  18. bark — of a tree
  19. bear — the animal
  20. bear — to put up with
  21. fine — high quality
  22. file — a line of people
  23. file — a tool
  24. fine — a penalty

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