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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. That was a fun ________________.
  2. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  9. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  13. Did you ________________ the button?
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  16. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  17. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  18. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  19. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  20. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  21. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  24. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. bark — a dog's sound
  3. wound — an injury
  4. rule — a law
  5. game — wild animals
  6. wound — an injury
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. root — of a word
  9. press — newspapers
  10. stock — shares
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. root — the cause
  13. press — to push
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. rule — government
  16. rest — what's left
  17. bark — of a tree
  18. press — a publisher
  19. rest — a break
  20. rest — what's left
  21. bark — to shout
  22. stock — goods
  23. rule — to rule out
  24. root — of a plant

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