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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 · spell · last · can · sharp · rule · lie · press

  1. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. Did you ________________ the button?
  4. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  5. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  6. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  7. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  8. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  9. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  13. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  19. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  24. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — with an edge
  2. last — final
  3. press — to push
  4. press — a publisher
  5. bark — a dog's sound
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. rule — government
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. press — newspapers
  10. spell — magic
  11. spell — letters
  12. lie — to recline
  13. rule — a law
  14. last — finally
  15. rule — to rule out
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. sharp — clever
  18. can — to be able to
  19. can — a tin
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. bark — to shout
  22. last — to go on
  23. can — a tin
  24. spell — a short time

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