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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 124 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 fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  2. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  3. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  6. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  7. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  8. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  9. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  10. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  16. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  17. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  18. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  19. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  20. The water is too ________________.
  21. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  22. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  23. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the fish
  2. rule — government
  3. rule — a law
  4. rash — hasty
  5. bark — of a tree
  6. object — a thing
  7. fine — a penalty
  8. bark — a dog's sound
  9. cold — an illness
  10. object — an aim
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. fine — high quality
  13. rash — a series
  14. wake — a trail
  15. fine — all right
  16. bass — the instrument
  17. wake — to stop sleeping
  18. cold — the Cold War
  19. bass — low music
  20. cold — not warm
  21. object — to protest
  22. rule — to rule out
  23. bark — to shout
  24. wake — before a funeral

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