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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. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  2. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  3. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  8. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  9. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  10. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  11. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  16. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  17. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  18. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  19. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  20. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  21. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. The ________________ took off on time.
  24. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?

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

Answer key

  1. rule — a law
  2. bark — to shout
  3. file — a tool
  4. spell — magic
  5. file — a document
  6. march — music
  7. bark — of a tree
  8. pass — to spend time
  9. march — the month
  10. plane — a tool
  11. file — a line of people
  12. spell — letters
  13. snap — to speak sharply
  14. march — the month
  15. pass — to succeed
  16. snap — to snap out of it
  17. bark — a dog's sound
  18. plane — in geometry
  19. snap — to click
  20. pass — a permit
  21. rule — to rule out
  22. spell — a short time
  23. plane — an aircraft
  24. rule — government

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