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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. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  2. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  3. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  4. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  5. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  6. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  10. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  11. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  14. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  15. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  16. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  17. How do you ________________ your surname?
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  21. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  22. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  23. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  24. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?

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

Answer key

  1. rule — a law
  2. snap — to speak sharply
  3. bark — a dog's sound
  4. bark — to shout
  5. board — a committee
  6. toast — the most admired
  7. spell — magic
  8. court — of a king
  9. toast — bread
  10. bark — of a tree
  11. snap — to click
  12. squash — the sport
  13. board — to get on
  14. squash — the vegetable
  15. squash — to crush
  16. toast — a drink to someone
  17. spell — letters
  18. spell — a short time
  19. court — for sport
  20. snap — to snap out of it
  21. rule — to rule out
  22. board — a flat piece
  23. court — of law
  24. rule — government

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