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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. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  3. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  6. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  7. We're almost out of ________________.
  8. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  9. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  10. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  11. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  14. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  15. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  18. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  19. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  20. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  21. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  22. You don't need to ________________ round.
  23. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  24. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — government
  2. rule — to rule out
  3. bark — a dog's sound
  4. last — final
  5. staff — employees
  6. kick — a thrill
  7. pop — soda
  8. rule — a law
  9. track — a song
  10. kick — with a leg
  11. kick — in football
  12. last — to go on
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. staff — employees
  15. pop — music
  16. last — finally
  17. fan — to cool the air
  18. bark — of a tree
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. bark — to shout
  21. track — to keep track
  22. pop — to visit
  23. staff — a stick
  24. track — a path

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