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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. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  2. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  3. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  4. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  5. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  6. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  7. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  12. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  15. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  16. My father caught me by the ________________.
  17. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  21. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  22. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. We had a fire ________________ at school today.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. bark — a dog's sound
  3. stick — to attach or keep to
  4. fine — all right
  5. arm — a part of something
  6. bark — to shout
  7. rule — government
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. game — wild animals
  10. hand — help
  11. fine — a penalty
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. drill — the tool
  14. bark — of a tree
  15. rule — to rule out
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. rule — a law
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. hand — in cards
  20. drill — army training
  21. fine — high quality
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. game — a match
  24. drill — a practice

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