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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. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  2. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  12. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. She's very handy with a ________________.
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  18. That was ________________ to happen.
  19. He works in a ________________ mill.
  20. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  23. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — government
  2. march — music
  3. firm — a company
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. bound — obliged
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. bark — to shout
  8. bound — tied together
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. march — the month
  11. rule — to rule out
  12. bark — a dog's sound
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. saw — the tool
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. wake — a trail
  17. firm — decided
  18. bound — certain
  19. saw — the tool
  20. rule — a law
  21. sharp — clever
  22. firm — steady
  23. bark — of a tree
  24. march — the month

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