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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 116 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. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  2. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  3. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  7. That must've been a ________________.
  8. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  9. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  10. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  11. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  12. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  13. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  14. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  15. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  19. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  20. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  24. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. rest — a break
  3. bark — to shout
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. rush — hurry
  6. rest — what's left
  7. rush — a thrill
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. rule — government
  10. drill — army training
  11. bark — of a tree
  12. rule — a law
  13. drill — a practice
  14. rule — to rule out
  15. bark — a dog's sound
  16. drill — the tool
  17. wind — moving air
  18. racket — a loud noise
  19. rest — what's left
  20. rush — to hurry
  21. game — wild animals
  22. game — a match
  23. wind — to turn a key
  24. wind — moving air

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