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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. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  3. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  4. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  5. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  6. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  11. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  15. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  16. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  17. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  18. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. rule — a law
  4. calf — of the leg
  5. bark — a dog's sound
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. land — to come down
  8. file — a tool
  9. saw — the tool
  10. bark — of a tree
  11. present — a gift
  12. saw — the tool
  13. bark — to shout
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. stick — to attach or keep to
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. present — the time now
  18. file — a document
  19. file — a line of people
  20. rule — to rule out
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. rule — government
  23. land — a country
  24. present — there

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