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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. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  2. She's very handy with a ________________.
  3. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  6. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  7. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  8. He was locked up in a ________________.
  9. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  10. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  11. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  12. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  13. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  14. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  17. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  18. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  19. The tickets are free of ________________.
  20. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  21. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — a dog's sound
  2. saw — the tool
  3. rule — to rule out
  4. saw — the tool
  5. race — the arms race
  6. race — humankind
  7. rule — a law
  8. cell — in a prison
  9. charge — electricity
  10. fine — a penalty
  11. fine — all right
  12. last — final
  13. cell — a phone
  14. rule — government
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. fine — high quality
  17. race — a contest
  18. cell — in biology
  19. charge — a price
  20. charge — in control
  21. bark — of a tree
  22. bark — to shout
  23. last — finally
  24. last — to go on

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