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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. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  2. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  4. I've got to change the light ________________.
  5. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  8. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  9. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  10. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  11. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  12. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  13. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  14. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  15. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  16. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  17. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  18. The light ________________ burned out.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. face — to point toward
  3. face — part of the head
  4. bulb — for light
  5. track — a song
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. chair — a professorship
  8. bark — of a tree
  9. track — to keep track
  10. bulb — of a plant
  11. kid — to tease
  12. chair — a leader
  13. bark — a dog's sound
  14. track — a path
  15. chair — to sit on
  16. face — to confront
  17. bark — to shout
  18. bulb — for light

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