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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. He is an ace ________________.
  2. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  4. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  5. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  6. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  7. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  11. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  12. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  13. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  14. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  18. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  19. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  20. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  21. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  22. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  23. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. fork — in a road
  4. rule — government
  5. fork — to eat with
  6. current — of water
  7. rule — a law
  8. march — music
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. craft — a skill
  11. bark — a dog's sound
  12. trunk — of a car
  13. current — electric
  14. rule — to rule out
  15. march — the month
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. fork — a garden tool
  18. trunk — of a tree
  19. bark — of a tree
  20. bark — to shout
  21. craft — boats
  22. current — happening now
  23. craft — a handicraft
  24. march — the month

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