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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 120 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: mug · squash · chest · bark · firm · rule · sharp · fine

  1. It's one o'clock ________________.
  2. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  3. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  4. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  5. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  6. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  7. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. Where did you ________________ them?
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  12. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  13. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  14. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  15. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  16. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  17. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  18. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  19. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  20. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  21. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  22. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  23. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  24. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. firm — steady
  3. bark — of a tree
  4. mug — a cup
  5. rule — a law
  6. chest — of your body
  7. firm — decided
  8. sharp — clever
  9. mug — to rob
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. mug — a face
  12. fine — a penalty
  13. squash — the sport
  14. rule — government
  15. bark — a dog's sound
  16. squash — to crush
  17. chest — a box
  18. fine — high quality
  19. rule — to rule out
  20. fine — all right
  21. chest — of your body
  22. squash — the vegetable
  23. bark — to shout
  24. firm — a company

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