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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 pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  5. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  6. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  7. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  10. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  11. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  12. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  13. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  14. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  15. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  16. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  17. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  18. I can't ________________ this cold.
  19. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  20. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — government
  2. game — wild animals
  3. face — to confront
  4. row — to paddle
  5. stand — for spectators
  6. rule — a law
  7. bark — to shout
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. bear — the animal
  10. leaves — to go away
  11. bark — a dog's sound
  12. bear — to put up with
  13. row — a line
  14. face — part of the head
  15. stand — on your feet
  16. face — to point toward
  17. leaves — of a tree
  18. stand — to bear
  19. bark — of a tree
  20. rule — to rule out
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. bear — the animal
  23. game — a match
  24. leaves — lets stay

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