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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 chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  2. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  5. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  6. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  7. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  8. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  9. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  10. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  11. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  12. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  16. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  17. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  18. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  22. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — to rule out
  2. clip — to cut
  3. track — to keep track
  4. pound — to hit hard
  5. foot — part of the body
  6. pound — for dogs
  7. foot — a measure
  8. bark — a dog's sound
  9. track — a path
  10. rock — a stone
  11. rule — government
  12. rule — a law
  13. clip — a video
  14. track — a song
  15. foot — the bottom
  16. rock — music
  17. kid — child
  18. rock — to move gently
  19. clip — for paper
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. bark — of a tree
  22. pound — a weight
  23. kid — to tease
  24. bark — to shout

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