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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. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  2. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  3. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  10. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  11. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  12. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  16. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  17. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  18. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  19. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  23. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. bark — to shout
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. squash — to crush
  5. bark — of a tree
  6. track — a path
  7. squash — the vegetable
  8. wound — an injury
  9. squash — the sport
  10. jam — a tight spot
  11. rule — government
  12. lie — to recline
  13. field — a subject
  14. track — a song
  15. track — to keep track
  16. wound — past of 'wind'
  17. rule — to rule out
  18. bark — a dog's sound
  19. jam — in traffic
  20. field — farmland
  21. field — for sport
  22. jam — to spread on bread
  23. rule — a law
  24. wound — an injury

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