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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. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  2. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  3. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  6. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  7. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  8. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  9. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  10. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  11. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  12. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  13. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  14. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  15. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  20. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  21. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  22. The water is too ________________.
  23. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  24. There's no middle ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — of a tree
  2. jam — to spread on bread
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. ground — crushed
  5. bat — in an idiom
  6. bat — for baseball
  7. cold — the Cold War
  8. safe — a strongbox
  9. rule — to rule out
  10. bark — to shout
  11. bark — a dog's sound
  12. rule — a law
  13. tear — from crying
  14. rule — government
  15. jam — in traffic
  16. bat — the animal
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. ground — the earth
  19. tear — to rip
  20. tear — from crying
  21. cold — an illness
  22. cold — not warm
  23. jam — a tight spot
  24. ground — a position

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