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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. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  2. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  3. He was locked up in a ________________.
  4. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  5. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  6. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  7. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  8. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  9. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  10. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  11. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  12. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  13. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  14. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  15. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  16. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  17. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  18. Have you settled on a ________________?
  19. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  20. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  21. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  22. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  23. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  24. The people resisted their cruel ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — a phone
  2. toast — the most admired
  3. cell — in a prison
  4. bark — to shout
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. face — to point toward
  7. toast — bread
  8. bark — a dog's sound
  9. current — electric
  10. toast — a drink to someone
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. current — of water
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. row — a line
  15. face — part of the head
  16. date — the fruit
  17. row — a quarrel
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. cell — in biology
  20. current — happening now
  21. bark — of a tree
  22. face — to confront
  23. row — to paddle
  24. ruler — a monarch

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