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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. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  2. She's very handy with a ________________.
  3. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  6. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  11. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  12. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  13. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  19. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  22. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  23. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  24. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a document
  2. saw — the tool
  3. bark — to shout
  4. net — for catching
  5. bark — of a tree
  6. rule — to rule out
  7. court — for sport
  8. file — a line of people
  9. court — of law
  10. chest — of your body
  11. chest — of your body
  12. file — a tool
  13. chest — a box
  14. saw — the tool
  15. net — in sport
  16. court — of a king
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. stem — to come from
  19. rule — government
  20. net — after costs
  21. rule — a law
  22. stem — a stem cell
  23. bark — a dog's sound
  24. stem — of a plant

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