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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 120 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. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  2. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  3. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  4. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  5. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  6. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  10. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  11. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  19. The ________________ took off on time.
  20. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  21. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  22. The King held a masked ________________.
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. The ball is in your ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — government
  2. bark — to shout
  3. ball — a great time
  4. mark — a trace
  5. bark — a dog's sound
  6. rule — a law
  7. court — of law
  8. tube — the underground
  9. plane — a tool
  10. mark — a grade
  11. ball — a round shape
  12. net — in sport
  13. net — for catching
  14. plane — in geometry
  15. tube — a container
  16. rule — to rule out
  17. court — of a king
  18. mark — to pay attention
  19. plane — an aircraft
  20. tube — in a tire
  21. bark — of a tree
  22. ball — a dance
  23. net — after costs
  24. court — for sport

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