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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: rule · sharp · rest · date · track · bark · mark · swing

  1. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  2. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  3. Have you settled on a ________________?
  4. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  5. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  8. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  9. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  10. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  11. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  12. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  13. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  16. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  17. David sat on the ________________.
  18. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  19. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  20. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  23. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  24. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — government
  2. rule — a law
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. mark — to pay attention
  5. swing — music
  6. sharp — clever
  7. rule — to rule out
  8. bark — a dog's sound
  9. mark — a trace
  10. mark — a grade
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. rest — what's left
  13. date — the fruit
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. bark — of a tree
  16. rest — a break
  17. swing — to play on
  18. track — a song
  19. swing — in golf
  20. track — to keep track
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. track — a path
  23. rest — what's left
  24. bark — to shout

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