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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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Word bank
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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: straw · fine · pop · track · bark · rash · rule · temple

  1. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  2. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  4. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. We're almost out of ________________.
  8. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  12. You don't need to ________________ round.
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  15. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  16. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  20. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  21. When was this ________________ built?
  22. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  23. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  24. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — a penalty
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. bark — of a tree
  4. fine — high quality
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. track — a path
  7. pop — soda
  8. fine — all right
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. pop — to visit
  13. rash — hasty
  14. rule — to rule out
  15. temple — side of the head
  16. rule — government
  17. rash — a series
  18. track — to keep track
  19. bark — to shout
  20. rule — a law
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. bark — a dog's sound
  23. track — a song
  24. pop — music

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