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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: sharp · pit · perch · rule · face · bore · bark · stock

  1. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  2. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  4. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  5. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  6. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  7. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  8. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  9. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  14. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  15. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  18. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  19. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  20. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  21. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  22. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — government
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. stock — a soup base
  4. face — to confront
  5. pit — in a race
  6. bore — gave birth
  7. rule — to rule out
  8. rule — a law
  9. bore — to tire
  10. face — to point toward
  11. stock — goods
  12. sharp — clever
  13. bore — to drill
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. bark — to shout
  16. stock — shares
  17. perch — the fish
  18. pit — a hole
  19. pit — a fruit stone
  20. bark — of a tree
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. face — part of the head
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. bark — a dog's sound

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