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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: cell · perch · fork · cue · pass · bark · date · rule

  1. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  2. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  3. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  4. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  5. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  6. Have you settled on a ________________?
  7. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  8. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  9. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  10. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  11. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  12. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  13. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  14. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  15. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  16. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  17. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  18. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  19. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  20. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  21. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  22. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  23. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  24. He was locked up in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — of a tree
  2. fork — a garden tool
  3. pass — to succeed
  4. perch — the fish
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. rule — a law
  8. cue — a hint
  9. cell — a phone
  10. cue — a signal
  11. date — the fruit
  12. pass — to spend time
  13. fork — to eat with
  14. cue — for pool
  15. pass — a permit
  16. bark — to shout
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. cell — in biology
  19. rule — to rule out
  20. fork — in a road
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. bark — a dog's sound
  23. rule — government
  24. cell — in a prison

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