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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. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  2. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  7. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  8. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  9. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  11. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  14. The ________________ took off on time.
  15. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  16. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  17. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  18. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  19. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  20. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  21. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  22. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?

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

Answer key

  1. rule — a law
  2. track — to keep track
  3. track — a song
  4. deal — to handle
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. bark — a dog's sound
  7. chair — to sit on
  8. chair — a professorship
  9. chair — a leader
  10. club — for golf
  11. club — for dancing
  12. sharp — clever
  13. plane — in geometry
  14. plane — an aircraft
  15. rule — to rule out
  16. club — a group
  17. plane — a tool
  18. deal — an agreement
  19. bark — to shout
  20. bark — of a tree
  21. deal — a big deal
  22. track — a path
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. rule — government

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