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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 120 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. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  2. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  3. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  4. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. That was ________________ to happen.
  7. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  8. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  9. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  10. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  11. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  12. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  13. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  14. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  17. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  20. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  21. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  22. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  23. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — to shout
  2. racket — a loud noise
  3. bound — obliged
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. hand — help
  6. bound — certain
  7. rule — to rule out
  8. fall — to drop
  9. bark — a dog's sound
  10. rule — government
  11. bound — tied together
  12. wind — to turn a key
  13. rock — music
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. wind — moving air
  16. fall — to drop
  17. rock — a stone
  18. hand — in cards
  19. wind — moving air
  20. rule — a law
  21. bark — of a tree
  22. rock — to move gently
  23. fall — the season
  24. hand — part of the body

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