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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. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  2. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  3. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  4. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  5. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  6. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  7. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  13. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  14. The ________________ took off on time.
  15. I can't ________________ this cold.
  16. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  17. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  18. This piece is in a major ________________.
  19. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  22. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  23. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  24. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — to shout
  2. pitch — a sales talk
  3. pitch — a sports field
  4. face — to confront
  5. stand — for spectators
  6. wind — moving air
  7. face — part of the head
  8. wind — moving air
  9. prune — to trim
  10. face — to point toward
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. plane — a tool
  13. plane — in geometry
  14. plane — an aircraft
  15. stand — to bear
  16. key — the most important part
  17. stand — on your feet
  18. key — in music
  19. pitch — completely
  20. prune — to trim
  21. key — for a lock
  22. wind — to turn a key
  23. bark — a dog's sound
  24. bark — of a tree

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