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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. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  2. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  3. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  4. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  7. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  8. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  9. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  10. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  11. Where did you ________________ them?
  12. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  13. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  14. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  15. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  16. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  17. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  18. This piece is in a major ________________.
  19. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  22. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  23. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  24. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. key — the most important part
  3. bark — a dog's sound
  4. rule — to rule out
  5. march — music
  6. key — for a lock
  7. fan — to cool the air
  8. mug — a cup
  9. march — the month
  10. root — of a word
  11. mug — to rob
  12. mug — a face
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. root — the cause
  15. bark — to shout
  16. bowl — to roll
  17. root — of a plant
  18. key — in music
  19. bowl — a football final
  20. march — the month
  21. bark — of a tree
  22. rule — government
  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