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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. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  2. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  5. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  6. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  11. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  12. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  13. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  14. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  15. My mare is ________________ in color.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  21. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  22. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  23. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  24. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — to rule out
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. bark — to shout
  6. root — of a word
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. bay — a part of the sea
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. rule — a law
  11. root — of a plant
  12. bark — a dog's sound
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. bay — to keep at bay
  15. bay — a horse colour
  16. mine — for digging
  17. hand — in cards
  18. bark — of a tree
  19. hand — help
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. rule — government
  22. coach — pulled by horses
  23. racket — a loud noise
  24. root — the cause

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