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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. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  2. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  3. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  4. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  7. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  10. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  11. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  12. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  13. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  14. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  19. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  20. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  21. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  22. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  24. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — a dog's sound
  2. cap — a lid
  3. cap — of ice
  4. face — to confront
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. deal — to handle
  7. cap — a hat
  8. face — part of the head
  9. wake — before a funeral
  10. bark — to shout
  11. deal — a big deal
  12. wind — to turn a key
  13. bark — of a tree
  14. deal — an agreement
  15. wind — moving air
  16. fine — all right
  17. face — to point toward
  18. fine — a penalty
  19. fine — high quality
  20. wind — moving air
  21. wake — to stop sleeping
  22. wake — a trail
  23. bat — in an idiom
  24. bat — 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