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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 120 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. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  2. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  4. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  5. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. She's very handy with a ________________.
  8. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  9. David sat on the ________________.
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  13. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  14. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  15. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  18. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  19. He works in a ________________ mill.
  20. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  23. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. can — to be able to
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. bark — a dog's sound
  4. can — a tin
  5. swing — music
  6. last — final
  7. saw — the tool
  8. face — to confront
  9. swing — to play on
  10. last — to go on
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. bark — of a tree
  13. swing — in golf
  14. mark — a grade
  15. can — a tin
  16. last — finally
  17. face — part of the head
  18. bark — to shout
  19. saw — the tool
  20. mark — a trace
  21. mine — for digging
  22. mark — to pay attention
  23. face — to point toward
  24. mine — an explosive

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