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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. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  3. Have you settled on a ________________?
  4. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  5. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  6. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  7. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  8. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  9. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  10. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  11. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  12. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  13. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  14. The King held a masked ________________.
  15. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  16. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  17. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  20. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  21. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  22. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  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. hand — in cards
  2. present — a gift
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. ball — a round shape
  5. ball — a great time
  6. row — to paddle
  7. cap — a hat
  8. present — the time now
  9. bark — of a tree
  10. rule — government
  11. cap — a lid
  12. present — there
  13. cap — of ice
  14. ball — a dance
  15. rule — a law
  16. bark — to shout
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. row — a line
  20. row — a quarrel
  21. date — the fruit
  22. bark — a dog's sound
  23. hand — help
  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