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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. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  2. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  3. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  4. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  5. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  6. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  7. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  8. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  11. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  12. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  18. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  22. The King held a masked ________________.
  23. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — government
  2. rule — a law
  3. rule — to rule out
  4. bear — the animal
  5. ruler — a monarch
  6. bark — of a tree
  7. bark — a dog's sound
  8. race — a contest
  9. file — a tool
  10. race — the arms race
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. ball — a great time
  13. bark — to shout
  14. bear — to put up with
  15. last — final
  16. file — a line of people
  17. bear — the animal
  18. ball — a round shape
  19. file — a document
  20. last — to go on
  21. race — humankind
  22. ball — a dance
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. last — finally

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