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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. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  3. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  14. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  19. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  20. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  21. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  22. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  23. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. bark — a dog's sound
  3. can — to be able to
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. rule — to rule out
  7. wake — a trail
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. rock — a stone
  10. sharp — clever
  11. bark — to shout
  12. rash — a series
  13. rule — a law
  14. can — a tin
  15. rash — hasty
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. mouse — for a computer
  20. bark — of a tree
  21. rock — to move gently
  22. can — a tin
  23. rule — government
  24. wake — before a funeral

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