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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. False peace will not ________________.
  2. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  4. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  5. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  6. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  9. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  10. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  11. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  12. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  19. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  20. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  21. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. wind — moving air
  3. dip — a sauce
  4. ruler — a monarch
  5. rule — government
  6. rule — a law
  7. net — in sport
  8. bat — the animal
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. dip — to dunk
  11. dip — to sink
  12. rule — to rule out
  13. net — after costs
  14. bark — to shout
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. last — final
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. bat — for baseball
  19. bark — of a tree
  20. bat — in an idiom
  21. wind — moving air
  22. last — finally
  23. bark — a dog's sound
  24. net — for catching

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