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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 116 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. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  11. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  14. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  15. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  18. Where did you ________________ them?
  19. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  20. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  21. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  22. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  23. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  24. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. rule — a law
  2. spring — a coil
  3. bark — a dog's sound
  4. court — for sport
  5. spring — the season
  6. wake — to stop sleeping
  7. court — of a king
  8. wake — a trail
  9. spring — of water
  10. mug — a cup
  11. rule — to rule out
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. pit — a hole
  14. deal — to handle
  15. deal — an agreement
  16. court — of law
  17. mug — a face
  18. mug — to rob
  19. bark — to shout
  20. bark — of a tree
  21. deal — a big deal
  22. pit — in a race
  23. rule — government
  24. pit — a fruit stone

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