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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. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  2. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  3. I can't ________________ this cold.
  4. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  5. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  6. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  7. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  8. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  9. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  10. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  11. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  12. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  13. That must've been a ________________.
  14. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  15. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  16. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  17. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  18. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  19. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  20. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  21. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  22. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  23. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  24. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — a law
  2. snap — to snap out of it
  3. stand — to bear
  4. ruler — a monarch
  5. bark — a dog's sound
  6. content — videos and posts
  7. bark — of a tree
  8. rule — to rule out
  9. content — happy
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. stand — for spectators
  12. wind — to turn a key
  13. rush — a thrill
  14. content — the amount
  15. snap — to speak sharply
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. bark — to shout
  18. rush — to hurry
  19. rush — hurry
  20. wind — moving air
  21. rule — government
  22. stand — on your feet
  23. wind — moving air
  24. snap — to click

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