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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. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  2. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  3. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  4. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  5. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  6. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  7. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  8. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  9. There's no middle ________________.
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  16. I can't ________________ this cold.
  17. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  18. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  19. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  20. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  21. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  22. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. David sat on the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — for spectators
  2. swing — music
  3. drill — the tool
  4. rule — government
  5. bark — of a tree
  6. ground — crushed
  7. squash — the vegetable
  8. rule — to rule out
  9. ground — a position
  10. squash — to crush
  11. bark — to shout
  12. ground — the earth
  13. squash — the sport
  14. row — to paddle
  15. rule — a law
  16. stand — to bear
  17. row — a quarrel
  18. stand — on your feet
  19. swing — in golf
  20. drill — a practice
  21. row — a line
  22. bark — a dog's sound
  23. drill — army training
  24. swing — to play on

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