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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. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  2. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  9. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  10. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  11. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  12. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  15. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  16. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  20. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  21. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. Have you met the new head ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. rule — a law
  2. net — in sport
  3. net — after costs
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. bark — a dog's sound
  7. spring — a coil
  8. current — happening now
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. current — of water
  11. bark — to shout
  12. current — electric
  13. spring — the season
  14. coach — pulled by horses
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. rule — to rule out
  17. net — for catching
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. bark — of a tree
  20. rule — government
  21. lie — to recline
  22. mine — for digging
  23. spring — of water
  24. coach — a trainer

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