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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 116 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 · mug · bark · rule · staff · mark · file · bass

  1. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  2. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  6. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  7. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  8. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  9. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  10. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  13. Where did you ________________ them?
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  19. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  20. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  21. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  22. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  23. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  24. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a tool
  2. staff — employees
  3. mate — a friend
  4. mate — a partner
  5. mark — a grade
  6. mark — a trace
  7. bass — low music
  8. mark — to pay attention
  9. staff — employees
  10. mug — a cup
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. bark — a dog's sound
  13. mug — to rob
  14. bark — to shout
  15. mate — to breed
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. bass — the fish
  18. staff — a stick
  19. rule — government
  20. rule — a law
  21. rule — to rule out
  22. mug — a face
  23. file — a document
  24. file — a line of people

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