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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. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  2. He is an ace ________________.
  3. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  6. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  7. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  8. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  9. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  10. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  11. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  12. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  13. The King held a masked ________________.
  14. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  15. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. The tickets are free of ________________.
  18. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  21. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  22. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — of a tree
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. ball — a round shape
  4. rash — hasty
  5. fork — to eat with
  6. bark — to shout
  7. mark — a grade
  8. rule — to rule out
  9. charge — electricity
  10. bark — a dog's sound
  11. mark — to pay attention
  12. charge — in control
  13. ball — a dance
  14. ball — a great time
  15. rule — a law
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. charge — a price
  18. fork — in a road
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. rule — government
  21. fork — a garden tool
  22. mark — a trace
  23. rash — a series
  24. pitcher — a jug

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