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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 116 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. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  2. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. The King held a masked ________________.
  5. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  6. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  7. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  10. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  11. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  15. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  20. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. He was locked up in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — a strongbox
  2. rule — a law
  3. net — after costs
  4. ball — a dance
  5. bark — a dog's sound
  6. bound — obliged
  7. cell — a phone
  8. net — in sport
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. rule — government
  11. cell — in biology
  12. march — the month
  13. march — the month
  14. rule — to rule out
  15. ball — a great time
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. net — for catching
  19. ball — a round shape
  20. bark — to shout
  21. bound — certain
  22. march — music
  23. bound — tied together
  24. cell — in a prison

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