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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. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  2. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  3. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  6. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  7. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  8. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  9. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  10. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  11. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  15. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  16. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  17. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  18. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  22. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  23. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  24. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — of the sea
  2. rule — government
  3. fall — to drop
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. bark — a dog's sound
  6. bark — to shout
  7. bore — gave birth
  8. bore — to drill
  9. rule — to rule out
  10. fall — to drop
  11. wave — a sudden rise
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. bass — the fish
  14. bark — of a tree
  15. bore — to tire
  16. rule — a law
  17. mark — a trace
  18. mark — a grade
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. mark — to pay attention
  22. wave — with your hand
  23. bass — low music
  24. fall — the season

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