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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 pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  4. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  5. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  6. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  7. What do you think of the new ________________?
  8. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  9. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  10. My father caught me by the ________________.
  11. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  12. Have you settled on a ________________?
  13. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  14. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  17. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  18. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  21. Have you found your soul ________________?
  22. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  23. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  24. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. bark — of a tree
  3. bark — a dog's sound
  4. fork — a garden tool
  5. date — the fruit
  6. mate — a friend
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. bark — to shout
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. fork — in a road
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. face — part of the head
  14. cabinet — a cupboard
  15. game — a match
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. fork — to eat with
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. face — to point toward
  21. mate — a partner
  22. mate — to breed
  23. face — to confront
  24. arm — a part of something

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