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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: mate · bay · court · rule · bark · drill · nail · staff

  1. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  2. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  5. The ________________ went through the wall.
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  9. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  10. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  13. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  14. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  15. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  16. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  17. My mare is ________________ in color.
  18. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  19. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  22. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  23. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  24. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. staff — a stick
  3. mate — a friend
  4. bark — to shout
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. mate — a partner
  7. court — of a king
  8. drill — a practice
  9. rule — a law
  10. nail — on a finger
  11. court — of law
  12. bark — a dog's sound
  13. bay — to keep at bay
  14. bark — of a tree
  15. mate — to breed
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. bay — a horse colour
  18. drill — army training
  19. bay — a part of the sea
  20. court — for sport
  21. drill — the tool
  22. rule — government
  23. staff — employees
  24. rule — to rule out

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