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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. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  2. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  3. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  4. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  7. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  8. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  9. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  10. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  11. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  12. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  13. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  16. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  17. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  18. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  19. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  20. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  21. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  22. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — to shout
  2. pit — a hole
  3. clip — a video
  4. face — part of the head
  5. clip — to cut
  6. face — to confront
  7. tear — from crying
  8. bound — obliged
  9. shower — rain
  10. bark — a dog's sound
  11. face — to point toward
  12. rule — government
  13. rule — to rule out
  14. clip — for paper
  15. bound — tied together
  16. rule — a law
  17. pit — a fruit stone
  18. tear — from crying
  19. bark — of a tree
  20. pit — in a race
  21. tear — to rip
  22. shower — to wash
  23. bound — certain
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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