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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. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  3. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  4. This piece is in a major ________________.
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  7. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  8. The King held a masked ________________.
  9. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  10. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  11. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  16. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  17. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  18. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  19. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  20. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  21. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  24. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. ball — a great time
  3. bark — of a tree
  4. key — in music
  5. branch — a division
  6. rest — what's left
  7. key — the most important part
  8. ball — a dance
  9. rest — what's left
  10. row — to paddle
  11. bark — a dog's sound
  12. net — after costs
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. rule — a law
  16. rule — to rule out
  17. bark — to shout
  18. key — for a lock
  19. row — a quarrel
  20. rest — a break
  21. rule — government
  22. net — for catching
  23. row — a line
  24. branch — of a bank

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