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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. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  2. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  9. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  12. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  13. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  14. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  15. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  16. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  17. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  18. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  19. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  20. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  21. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  22. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  23. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  24. That must've been a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — a garden tool
  2. bark — to shout
  3. rush — to hurry
  4. file — a line of people
  5. file — a tool
  6. rule — to rule out
  7. rush — hurry
  8. fork — to eat with
  9. current — happening now
  10. file — a document
  11. current — of water
  12. rule — government
  13. board — to get on
  14. rule — a law
  15. racket — a loud noise
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. current — electric
  19. fork — in a road
  20. bark — a dog's sound
  21. board — a committee
  22. board — a flat piece
  23. bark — of a tree
  24. rush — a thrill

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