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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. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  8. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  9. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  12. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  13. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  18. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  19. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  20. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  21. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  22. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  23. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  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. rule — government
  2. bark — a dog's sound
  3. shower — to wash
  4. squash — to crush
  5. mate — a partner
  6. wake — a trail
  7. bear — the animal
  8. rule — to rule out
  9. rule — a law
  10. shower — rain
  11. squash — the sport
  12. bark — to shout
  13. present — there
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. bear — to put up with
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. squash — the vegetable
  18. bear — the animal
  19. mate — to breed
  20. present — a gift
  21. mate — a friend
  22. shower — a meteor shower
  23. present — the time now
  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