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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. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  2. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  4. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  7. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  8. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  9. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  10. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  11. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  12. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  13. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  14. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. There's no middle ________________.
  19. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  20. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  21. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — lets stay
  2. bark — of a tree
  3. bark — a dog's sound
  4. fine — high quality
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. rule — to rule out
  7. leaves — of a tree
  8. rule — a law
  9. ground — the earth
  10. deal — a big deal
  11. rule — government
  12. bark — to shout
  13. deal — an agreement
  14. ground — crushed
  15. hand — in cards
  16. fine — all right
  17. hand — help
  18. ground — a position
  19. deal — to handle
  20. straw — dry grass
  21. fine — a penalty
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. leaves — to go away
  24. hand — part of the body

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