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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. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  2. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  5. My father caught me by the ________________.
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  8. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  9. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  10. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  11. What do you think of the new ________________?
  12. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  13. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  14. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  20. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  21. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  22. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  23. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  24. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. face — to point toward
  3. game — wild animals
  4. arm — a part of something
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. face — part of the head
  7. lean — thin
  8. cabinet — a cupboard
  9. bark — to shout
  10. bark — a dog's sound
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. face — to confront
  13. stock — goods
  14. snap — to speak sharply
  15. stock — shares
  16. game — a match
  17. stock — a soup base
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. bark — of a tree
  20. snap — to click
  21. snap — to snap out of it
  22. lean — to bend
  23. lean — to rest against
  24. arm — part of the body

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