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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. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  2. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  3. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  4. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  5. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  6. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  7. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  8. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. When will it ________________ you to start?
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  16. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  17. My father caught me by the ________________.
  18. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  19. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  20. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  21. There's no middle ________________.
  22. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  23. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  24. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — government
  2. bound — tied together
  3. bound — obliged
  4. arm — a part of something
  5. rule — a law
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. ground — the earth
  8. rule — to rule out
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. suit — in cards
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. suit — to fit
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. bound — certain
  15. bark — a dog's sound
  16. content — happy
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. bark — of a tree
  19. ground — crushed
  20. bark — to shout
  21. ground — a position
  22. content — the amount
  23. suit — clothes
  24. content — videos and posts

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