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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 got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  2. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  3. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  10. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  14. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  21. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  22. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  23. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  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. fine — a penalty
  2. bark — a dog's sound
  3. bound — tied together
  4. march — the month
  5. bound — obliged
  6. march — music
  7. fine — high quality
  8. game — wild animals
  9. rule — government
  10. fine — all right
  11. game — a match
  12. ground — the earth
  13. rule — a law
  14. dip — to sink
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. ground — crushed
  17. ground — a position
  18. bark — of a tree
  19. bound — certain
  20. dip — a sauce
  21. dip — to dunk
  22. rule — to rule out
  23. bark — to shout
  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