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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. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  3. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  4. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  5. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  6. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  7. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  12. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  13. What do you think of the new ________________?
  14. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  15. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  16. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  17. That must've been a ________________.
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  20. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  21. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  24. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. rule — to rule out
  3. race — humankind
  4. rest — what's left
  5. bark — of a tree
  6. rest — a break
  7. rush — to hurry
  8. spring — a coil
  9. rule — government
  10. spring — the season
  11. bark — to shout
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. cabinet — a cupboard
  15. race — a contest
  16. race — the arms race
  17. rush — a thrill
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. bass — low music
  20. rest — what's left
  21. bass — the fish
  22. spring — of water
  23. bark — a dog's sound
  24. rule — a law

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