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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: bark · rule · squash · nail · kick · key · court · stem

  1. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  2. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  4. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  5. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  6. This piece is in a major ________________.
  7. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  8. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  9. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  10. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  15. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  18. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  21. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  22. The ________________ went through the wall.
  23. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  24. Many English words ________________ from Latin.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — government
  2. court — for sport
  3. bark — a dog's sound
  4. rule — to rule out
  5. squash — the sport
  6. key — in music
  7. key — the most important part
  8. kick — a thrill
  9. stem — of a plant
  10. squash — the vegetable
  11. court — of a king
  12. nail — on a finger
  13. bark — to shout
  14. bark — of a tree
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. rule — a law
  18. kick — with a leg
  19. court — of law
  20. key — for a lock
  21. squash — to crush
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. kick — in football
  24. stem — to come from

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