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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 124 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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: calf · chest · race · bark · net · rule

  1. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  2. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  3. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  4. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  5. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  6. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  10. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  11. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  12. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  13. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  14. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  15. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  16. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  17. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. rule — to rule out
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. rule — a law
  4. bark — a dog's sound
  5. bark — to shout
  6. race — humankind
  7. net — in sport
  8. net — for catching
  9. bark — of a tree
  10. chest — of your body
  11. chest — a box
  12. calf — of the leg
  13. rule — government
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. chest — of your body
  16. race — the arms race
  17. race — a contest
  18. net — after costs

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