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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. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  2. I'll be taking the ________________.
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  5. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  6. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  7. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  8. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  9. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  10. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  11. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  16. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  17. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  20. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  21. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  22. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  23. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  24. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?

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

Answer key

  1. bark — to shout
  2. tube — the underground
  3. spell — letters
  4. pit — a hole
  5. rule — a law
  6. pit — in a race
  7. present — there
  8. pit — a fruit stone
  9. bark — of a tree
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. ruler — a monarch
  12. spell — a short time
  13. spell — magic
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. rule — government
  17. tube — in a tire
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. bat — the animal
  20. bat — for baseball
  21. present — the time now
  22. tube — a container
  23. rule — to rule out
  24. present — a gift

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