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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. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  4. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  5. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  6. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  9. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  10. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  11. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  12. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  13. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  14. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  15. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  16. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  23. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  24. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. pop — to visit
  3. rule — a law
  4. bark — of a tree
  5. chair — a professorship
  6. bark — to shout
  7. court — of a king
  8. stem — to come from
  9. firm — decided
  10. rule — government
  11. chair — to sit on
  12. bore — gave birth
  13. firm — steady
  14. chair — a leader
  15. bore — to drill
  16. pop — music
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. rule — to rule out
  19. court — for sport
  20. bark — a dog's sound
  21. pop — soda
  22. stem — of a plant
  23. firm — a company
  24. bore — to tire

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