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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
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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: bowl · bark · suit · safe · hand · rule · foot · last

  1. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  2. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  6. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  7. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  8. When will it ________________ you to start?
  9. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  10. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  11. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  12. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  13. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  14. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  15. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  22. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  23. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  24. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a football final
  2. bark — of a tree
  3. last — finally
  4. hand — in cards
  5. rule — to rule out
  6. foot — part of the body
  7. bowl — a dish
  8. suit — to fit
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. bark — to shout
  11. rule — government
  12. bark — a dog's sound
  13. foot — a measure
  14. rule — a law
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. last — final
  17. suit — in cards
  18. hand — help
  19. last — to go on
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. safe — a strongbox
  22. bowl — to roll
  23. foot — the bottom
  24. suit — clothes

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