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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 120 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. You don't need to ________________ round.
  2. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  5. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  6. We're almost out of ________________.
  7. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  8. The water is too ________________.
  9. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  10. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  11. That must've been a ________________.
  12. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  13. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  14. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  15. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  18. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  19. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  20. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  21. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  22. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  23. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  24. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — to visit
  2. bark — to shout
  3. rush — to hurry
  4. bark — a dog's sound
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. pop — soda
  7. stick — to attach or keep to
  8. cold — not warm
  9. tear — to rip
  10. rule — a law
  11. rush — a thrill
  12. vault — an arched ceiling
  13. vault — in gymnastics
  14. tear — from crying
  15. rush — hurry
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. pop — music
  18. cold — the Cold War
  19. cold — an illness
  20. tear — from crying
  21. rule — government
  22. vault — a safe
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. rule — to rule out

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