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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. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  2. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  3. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  6. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  7. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  10. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  11. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  12. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  15. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  16. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  17. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  18. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  23. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  24. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?

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

Answer key

  1. rule — a law
  2. rule — to rule out
  3. pitch — a sales talk
  4. mate — a partner
  5. bark — of a tree
  6. cap — a hat
  7. vault — an arched ceiling
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. vault — a safe
  10. bark — to shout
  11. cap — a lid
  12. pitch — completely
  13. mate — a friend
  14. pitch — a sports field
  15. capital — money
  16. capital — a city
  17. bark — a dog's sound
  18. vault — in gymnastics
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. mate — to breed
  21. wax — to grow
  22. cap — of ice
  23. capital — a big letter
  24. rule — government

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