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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. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  2. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  3. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  4. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  7. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  8. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  9. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  10. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  11. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  12. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  13. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  14. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  15. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  16. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  17. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  18. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  19. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  20. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  24. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — government
  2. bowl — a football final
  3. board — a flat piece
  4. rock — music
  5. game — wild animals
  6. rule — a law
  7. bowl — to roll
  8. board — to get on
  9. bowl — a dish
  10. bark — of a tree
  11. fine — a penalty
  12. rock — a stone
  13. tear — to rip
  14. tear — from crying
  15. fine — all right
  16. rule — to rule out
  17. board — a committee
  18. rock — to move gently
  19. tear — from crying
  20. fine — high quality
  21. game — a match
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. bark — to shout
  24. bark — a dog's sound

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