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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. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  2. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  3. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  4. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  5. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  6. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  7. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  8. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  9. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  10. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  11. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  12. What do you think of the new ________________?
  13. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  14. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  17. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  18. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  19. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  20. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  21. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  22. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  23. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  24. I would like to have a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. bark — a dog's sound
  4. rest — what's left
  5. bark — of a tree
  6. bark — to shout
  7. pound — to hit hard
  8. pound — for dogs
  9. fork — to eat with
  10. rock — music
  11. fork — in a road
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. face — part of the head
  14. pound — a weight
  15. face — to point toward
  16. rest — what's left
  17. face — to confront
  18. rock — to move gently
  19. rock — a stone
  20. fork — a garden tool
  21. cabinet — a cupboard
  22. stick — to attach or keep to
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. rest — a break

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