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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. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  2. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  4. When will it ________________ you to start?
  5. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  6. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  9. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  10. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  11. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  12. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  15. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  16. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  17. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  20. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — for a computer
  2. bat — the animal
  3. chair — to sit on
  4. suit — to fit
  5. rash — a series
  6. rule — to rule out
  7. spring — the season
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. chair — a professorship
  10. chair — a leader
  11. suit — in cards
  12. bark — a dog's sound
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. rule — government
  15. suit — clothes
  16. rule — a law
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. spring — a coil
  19. bat — in an idiom
  20. bark — of a tree
  21. rash — hasty
  22. bark — to shout
  23. rash — on the skin
  24. spring — of water

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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