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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. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  2. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. That was ________________ to happen.
  4. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  5. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  6. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  7. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  8. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  9. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  10. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  11. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  12. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  13. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. That must've been a ________________.
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  21. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  22. Have you settled on a ________________?
  23. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  24. I had a ________________ with my boss today.

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

Answer key

  1. date — the fruit
  2. face — to confront
  3. bound — certain
  4. bark — a dog's sound
  5. present — there
  6. snap — to snap out of it
  7. row — a line
  8. present — the time now
  9. snap — to click
  10. bound — tied together
  11. face — to point toward
  12. present — a gift
  13. bark — of a tree
  14. row — to paddle
  15. rush — a thrill
  16. face — part of the head
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. rush — hurry
  19. bound — obliged
  20. bark — to shout
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. rush — to hurry
  24. row — a quarrel

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