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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 116 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'll be taking the ________________.
  2. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  3. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  4. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  5. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  6. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  7. Have you met the new head ________________?
  8. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  9. That was ________________ to happen.
  10. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  11. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  14. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  15. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  16. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  22. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  23. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  24. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — the underground
  2. bark — to shout
  3. bark — a dog's sound
  4. coach — pulled by horses
  5. tube — in a tire
  6. bound — obliged
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. bark — of a tree
  9. bound — certain
  10. tube — a container
  11. rule — a law
  12. bound — tied together
  13. race — the arms race
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. race — a contest
  16. rule — to rule out
  17. land — a country
  18. land — to come down
  19. fan — to cool the air
  20. land — ground
  21. race — humankind
  22. rule — government
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. coach — a trainer

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