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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. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  2. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  3. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  6. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  7. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  8. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  9. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  10. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  16. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  17. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  18. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  21. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  22. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  23. We're almost out of ________________.
  24. You don't need to ________________ round.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — music
  2. bark — to shout
  3. chair — to sit on
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. fork — to eat with
  6. bark — of a tree
  7. fork — in a road
  8. face — to point toward
  9. face — to confront
  10. pit — a hole
  11. wound — an injury
  12. wound — an injury
  13. face — part of the head
  14. wake — a trail
  15. bark — a dog's sound
  16. chair — a leader
  17. wake — to stop sleeping
  18. pit — in a race
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. chair — a professorship
  21. pit — a fruit stone
  22. fork — a garden tool
  23. pop — soda
  24. pop — to visit

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