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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 120 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. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  2. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  3. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  4. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  5. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  6. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  7. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  8. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  9. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  10. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  11. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  12. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  13. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  14. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  15. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  16. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  17. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  18. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  19. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  20. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  21. He was locked up in a ________________.
  22. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  23. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  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. ruler — a monarch
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. cell — in biology
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. current — of water
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. bark — to shout
  8. bark — of a tree
  9. race — the arms race
  10. cell — a phone
  11. perch — the fish
  12. current — electric
  13. rule — a law
  14. race — a contest
  15. rule — government
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. current — happening now
  18. bark — a dog's sound
  19. race — humankind
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. cell — in a prison
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. hide — animal skin
  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