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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 116 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. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  2. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  3. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  10. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  11. Have you found your soul ________________?
  12. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  15. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  16. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  17. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  18. This piece is in a major ________________.
  19. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  20. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  21. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  22. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  23. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  24. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — of a tree
  2. rule — to rule out
  3. key — the most important part
  4. clip — a video
  5. clip — to cut
  6. rule — government
  7. clip — for paper
  8. mate — to breed
  9. rock — to move gently
  10. bark — to shout
  11. mate — a partner
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. mate — a friend
  14. rule — a law
  15. fan — to cool the air
  16. wake — to stop sleeping
  17. wake — a trail
  18. key — in music
  19. rock — a stone
  20. wake — before a funeral
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. rock — music
  23. key — for a lock
  24. bark — a dog's sound

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