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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. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  3. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. My mare is ________________ in color.
  10. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  11. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  12. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  13. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  14. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  15. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  16. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  17. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  18. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  19. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  20. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  21. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  24. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — of a tree
  2. bay — a part of the sea
  3. bass — the fish
  4. court — of law
  5. shower — rain
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. bark — to shout
  8. shower — to wash
  9. bay — a horse colour
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. squash — the sport
  12. rule — a law
  13. rule — to rule out
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. bark — a dog's sound
  16. squash — the vegetable
  17. ruler — a monarch
  18. bay — to keep at bay
  19. squash — to crush
  20. rule — government
  21. bass — low music
  22. court — for sport
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  24. court — of a king

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