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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. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  3. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  4. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  5. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  6. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  7. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. Have you found your soul ________________?
  10. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  11. There's no middle ________________.
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  14. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  15. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  16. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. This piece is in a major ________________.
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  23. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  24. Add some ________________ pepper to it.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. bark — a dog's sound
  3. bark — of a tree
  4. mate — to breed
  5. face — to point toward
  6. present — there
  7. wind — to turn a key
  8. face — part of the head
  9. mate — a partner
  10. face — to confront
  11. ground — a position
  12. wind — moving air
  13. file — a document
  14. present — a gift
  15. key — for a lock
  16. present — the time now
  17. file — a line of people
  18. key — in music
  19. file — a tool
  20. bark — to shout
  21. ground — the earth
  22. key — the most important part
  23. mate — a friend
  24. ground — crushed

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