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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 116 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. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  2. My mare is ________________ in color.
  3. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  4. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  7. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  12. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  13. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  21. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  22. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  23. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  24. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. bay — a horse colour
  3. kid — child
  4. bay — to keep at bay
  5. face — part of the head
  6. bark — a dog's sound
  7. chip — in a computer
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. bark — to shout
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. bark — of a tree
  12. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  13. chip — for betting
  14. season — of the year
  15. season — in sport
  16. fine — a penalty
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. fine — high quality
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. fine — all right
  21. kid — to tease
  22. face — to point toward
  23. chip — to eat
  24. bay — a part of the sea

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