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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. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  2. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  3. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  6. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  9. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  10. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  11. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  12. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  15. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  16. My mare is ________________ in color.
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  21. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  22. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  23. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. bark — of a tree
  2. bark — a dog's sound
  3. leaves — lets stay
  4. last — to go on
  5. saw — past of 'see'
  6. rule — government
  7. spell — letters
  8. vault — a safe
  9. bay — a part of the sea
  10. leaves — to go away
  11. bay — to keep at bay
  12. bark — to shout
  13. spell — a short time
  14. vault — in gymnastics
  15. rule — to rule out
  16. bay — a horse colour
  17. last — finally
  18. saw — the tool
  19. saw — the tool
  20. vault — an arched ceiling
  21. leaves — of a tree
  22. rule — a law
  23. spell — magic
  24. last — final

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