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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. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  3. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  4. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  5. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  6. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  7. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  8. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  9. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  10. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  11. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  12. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  17. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. Have you met the new head ________________?
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  24. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. rule — a law
  3. bark — a dog's sound
  4. vault — an arched ceiling
  5. vault — in gymnastics
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. rule — to rule out
  8. current — electric
  9. rule — government
  10. lean — to rest against
  11. vault — a safe
  12. lean — to bend
  13. march — the month
  14. current — of water
  15. march — music
  16. coach — pulled by horses
  17. lean — thin
  18. march — the month
  19. hand — in cards
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. bark — to shout
  23. bark — of a tree
  24. current — happening now

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