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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: bark · mark · foot · rule · toast · cold · court · wave

  1. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  2. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  3. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  4. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  5. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  8. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  9. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  10. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  11. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  12. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  13. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  14. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  15. The ball is in your ________________.
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  18. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  19. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  20. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  21. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  22. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  23. The water is too ________________.
  24. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — a drink to someone
  2. mark — a grade
  3. rule — government
  4. foot — part of the body
  5. rule — to rule out
  6. court — of law
  7. wave — of the sea
  8. bark — to shout
  9. toast — bread
  10. wave — a sudden rise
  11. mark — a trace
  12. wave — with your hand
  13. foot — the bottom
  14. rule — a law
  15. court — for sport
  16. court — of a king
  17. toast — the most admired
  18. bark — of a tree
  19. cold — an illness
  20. mark — to pay attention
  21. cold — the Cold War
  22. bark — a dog's sound
  23. cold — not warm
  24. foot — a measure

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