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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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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. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  2. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  4. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  7. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  8. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  9. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  12. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  13. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  17. That must've been a ________________.
  18. Take your time. There's no ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. face — part of the head
  2. face — to point toward
  3. bark — a dog's sound
  4. rush — to hurry
  5. face — to confront
  6. bark — to shout
  7. pitch — a sales talk
  8. bark — of a tree
  9. object — an aim
  10. hand — help
  11. object — to protest
  12. pitch — a sports field
  13. object — a thing
  14. hand — in cards
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. pitch — completely
  17. rush — a thrill
  18. rush — hurry

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