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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: object · leaves · bark · row · charge · game · fine · rule

  1. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  2. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  3. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  4. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  5. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  6. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  9. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  10. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  11. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  12. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  16. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  17. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  18. The tickets are free of ________________.
  19. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  20. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  21. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  22. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  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. object — an aim
  2. charge — electricity
  3. object — to protest
  4. leaves — lets stay
  5. bark — a dog's sound
  6. row — a line
  7. game — wild animals
  8. leaves — to go away
  9. rule — a law
  10. leaves — of a tree
  11. object — a thing
  12. bark — to shout
  13. row — to paddle
  14. game — a match
  15. fine — a penalty
  16. row — a quarrel
  17. fine — all right
  18. charge — a price
  19. rule — to rule out
  20. fine — high quality
  21. bark — of a tree
  22. charge — in control
  23. game — a kind of play
  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