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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  2. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  3. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  4. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  8. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  9. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  10. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  16. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to point toward
  2. pit — a hole
  3. pit — a fruit stone
  4. toast — the most admired
  5. face — part of the head
  6. bat — the animal
  7. bark — a dog's sound
  8. bark — of a tree
  9. face — to confront
  10. pit — in a race
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. toast — bread
  13. bound — certain
  14. bound — tied together
  15. toast — a drink to someone
  16. bark — to shout
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. bound — obliged

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