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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. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  2. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  4. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  5. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  6. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  7. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  8. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  9. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  10. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  11. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  12. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  13. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  14. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  15. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  16. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  17. David sat on the ________________.
  18. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  19. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  20. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  21. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  22. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  23. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  24. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. bark — of a tree
  3. bark — to shout
  4. row — a line
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. staff — employees
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. row — to paddle
  9. staff — a stick
  10. chest — a box
  11. rule — government
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. fan — to cool the air
  14. row — a quarrel
  15. chest — of your body
  16. staff — employees
  17. swing — to play on
  18. safe — a strongbox
  19. rule — a law
  20. bark — a dog's sound
  21. swing — in golf
  22. rule — to rule out
  23. swing — music
  24. fan — a supporter

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