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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. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  2. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. He works in a ________________ mill.
  4. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  5. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  9. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  10. When was this ________________ built?
  11. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  12. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  13. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  14. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  15. The ________________ went through the wall.
  16. Where did you ________________ them?
  17. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  20. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  21. That must've been a ________________.
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  24. You shouldn't ________________ things.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a face
  2. bark — of a tree
  3. saw — the tool
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. rule — government
  6. rush — hurry
  7. track — a song
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. bark — to shout
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. bark — a dog's sound
  12. mug — a cup
  13. rule — to rule out
  14. nail — on a finger
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. mug — to rob
  17. rule — a law
  18. saw — the tool
  19. track — to keep track
  20. track — a path
  21. rush — a thrill
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. temple — side of the head
  24. rush — to hurry

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