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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 · jam · rule · mate · pit · bark · straw · sharp

  1. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  2. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  6. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  7. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  8. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  13. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  14. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  17. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  20. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  21. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  22. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. Would you like some apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. rule — a law
  2. mate — a friend
  3. pit — a hole
  4. mate — a partner
  5. jam — in traffic
  6. object — a thing
  7. mate — to breed
  8. rule — to rule out
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. object — to protest
  11. sharp — clever
  12. pit — a fruit stone
  13. pit — in a race
  14. straw — dry grass
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. bark — a dog's sound
  17. object — an aim
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. bark — to shout
  20. jam — a tight spot
  21. rule — government
  22. bark — of a tree
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. jam — to spread on bread

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