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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. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  2. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  3. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  4. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  5. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  6. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  7. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  8. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  9. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  10. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  11. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  12. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  13. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  14. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  15. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  16. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  17. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  18. A black ________________ roamed the forest.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — to shout
  2. kick — in football
  3. chair — a leader
  4. bark — a dog's sound
  5. face — to point toward
  6. chair — to sit on
  7. kick — with a leg
  8. fall — to drop
  9. bear — to put up with
  10. kick — a thrill
  11. fall — the season
  12. bark — of a tree
  13. chair — a professorship
  14. face — to confront
  15. fall — to drop
  16. bear — the animal
  17. face — part of the head
  18. bear — the animal

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