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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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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: safe · drill · rule · club · fine · bark · last · mug

  1. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  2. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  3. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  4. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  5. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  6. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  7. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  10. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  11. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  12. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  13. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  14. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  15. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  16. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  17. Where did you ________________ them?
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  20. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  21. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  24. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?

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

Answer key

  1. rule — to rule out
  2. drill — a practice
  3. rule — a law
  4. safe — a strongbox
  5. mug — a cup
  6. club — a group
  7. fine — all right
  8. last — final
  9. bark — of a tree
  10. club — for golf
  11. bark — a dog's sound
  12. fine — a penalty
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. mug — a face
  15. club — for dancing
  16. fine — high quality
  17. mug — to rob
  18. last — finally
  19. drill — the tool
  20. drill — army training
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. last — to go on
  23. bark — to shout
  24. rule — government

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