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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. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  2. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  5. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  6. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  7. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  20. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  21. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  22. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  23. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  24. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. bark — of a tree
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. toast — a drink to someone
  5. toast — the most admired
  6. rule — a law
  7. rule — government
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. bark — to shout
  10. march — the month
  11. toast — bread
  12. march — the month
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. bat — the animal
  15. rash — a series
  16. rash — hasty
  17. safe — a strongbox
  18. march — music
  19. rule — to rule out
  20. deal — to handle
  21. deal — a big deal
  22. bat — in an idiom
  23. bark — a dog's sound
  24. deal — an agreement

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