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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. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  2. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  5. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  6. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  7. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  8. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  9. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  10. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  11. The water is too ________________.
  12. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  13. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  16. Have you found your soul ________________?
  17. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  18. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  19. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  20. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  21. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  22. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — tied together
  2. bark — of a tree
  3. mate — a friend
  4. pitch — a sports field
  5. rule — government
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. rule — to rule out
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. mouse — for a computer
  11. cold — not warm
  12. bark — to shout
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. bound — certain
  15. rule — a law
  16. mate — a partner
  17. cold — the Cold War
  18. cold — an illness
  19. perch — the fish
  20. pitch — a sales talk
  21. bark — a dog's sound
  22. mate — to breed
  23. bound — obliged
  24. pitch — completely

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