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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. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  2. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  4. The ________________ market has crashed.
  5. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  6. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  7. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  8. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  9. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  10. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  13. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  14. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  15. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  16. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  17. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  18. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  19. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  20. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  21. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  22. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  23. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  24. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?

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

Answer key

  1. rule — government
  2. bark — of a tree
  3. row — a line
  4. stock — shares
  5. bear — to put up with
  6. bark — a dog's sound
  7. bark — to shout
  8. kick — in football
  9. rule — to rule out
  10. fan — to cool the air
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. row — a quarrel
  13. bear — the animal
  14. vault — in gymnastics
  15. stock — goods
  16. vault — a safe
  17. kick — a thrill
  18. kick — with a leg
  19. bear — the animal
  20. vault — an arched ceiling
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. row — to paddle
  23. rule — a law
  24. fan — a supporter

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