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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 sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  2. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  4. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  5. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  8. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  9. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  10. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  15. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  16. My mare is ________________ in color.
  17. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  18. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  19. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  20. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  21. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  22. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  23. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  24. The ________________ took off on time.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — to shout
  2. clip — for paper
  3. scale — for weighing
  4. bat — in an idiom
  5. scale — size or range
  6. clip — a video
  7. scale — in music
  8. bat — the animal
  9. rule — to rule out
  10. bay — to keep at bay
  11. clip — to cut
  12. tear — from crying
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. tear — to rip
  15. tear — from crying
  16. bay — a horse colour
  17. bay — a part of the sea
  18. rule — government
  19. plane — a tool
  20. bark — of a tree
  21. bark — a dog's sound
  22. plane — in geometry
  23. rule — a law
  24. plane — an aircraft

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