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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 116 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 sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  2. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  5. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  6. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  9. When will it ________________ you to start?
  10. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  11. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  12. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  13. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  14. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  15. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  20. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  23. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  24. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — to shout
  2. firm — a company
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. clip — to cut
  5. kick — a thrill
  6. craft — a skill
  7. clip — for paper
  8. rule — to rule out
  9. suit — to fit
  10. rule — a law
  11. suit — clothes
  12. firm — decided
  13. firm — steady
  14. suit — in cards
  15. bark — a dog's sound
  16. clip — a video
  17. bark — of a tree
  18. mine — for digging
  19. kick — with a leg
  20. craft — boats
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. kick — in football
  23. rule — government
  24. craft — a handicraft

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