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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. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  2. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  3. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  4. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  5. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  6. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  7. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  8. He was locked up in a ________________.
  9. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  10. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  15. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  16. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  17. Did you ________________ the button?
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  22. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  23. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  24. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in biology
  2. object — to protest
  3. bark — of a tree
  4. cell — a phone
  5. kick — a thrill
  6. ruler — a monarch
  7. object — a thing
  8. cell — in a prison
  9. bark — to shout
  10. press — newspapers
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. object — an aim
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. press — a publisher
  15. kick — in football
  16. fan — to cool the air
  17. press — to push
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. bark — a dog's sound
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. kick — with a leg
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. ruler — for measuring
  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