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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. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  2. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  3. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  9. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  10. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  11. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  12. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  15. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  16. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  17. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  23. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  24. The people resisted their cruel ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a hole
  2. pit — a fruit stone
  3. row — to paddle
  4. land — ground
  5. row — a quarrel
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. land — to come down
  8. row — a line
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. drill — army training
  11. rule — government
  12. pit — in a race
  13. drill — the tool
  14. bark — of a tree
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. rule — to rule out
  17. drill — a practice
  18. season — of the year
  19. land — a country
  20. bark — to shout
  21. season — in sport
  22. bark — a dog's sound
  23. rule — a law
  24. ruler — a monarch

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