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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. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  3. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  4. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  5. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  6. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  7. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. Have you met the new head ________________?
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. The ________________ went through the wall.
  12. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  13. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  14. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  20. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  23. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  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. bark — of a tree
  2. fine — all right
  3. nail — on a finger
  4. coach — pulled by horses
  5. bark — to shout
  6. bass — the fish
  7. fine — a penalty
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. bark — a dog's sound
  13. bass — the instrument
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. rash — a series
  17. rule — to rule out
  18. rash — hasty
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. fine — high quality
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. rule — a law
  23. bass — low music
  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