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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. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  3. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  6. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  7. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  10. This piece is in a major ________________.
  11. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  12. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  15. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. When will it ________________ you to start?
  18. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  19. What do you think of the new ________________?
  20. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  21. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  22. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  23. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  24. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. row — a quarrel
  4. wound — an injury
  5. cabinet — a cupboard
  6. key — for a lock
  7. kick — with a leg
  8. wound — an injury
  9. bark — to shout
  10. key — in music
  11. kick — a thrill
  12. suit — in cards
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. face — to point toward
  15. kick — in football
  16. row — to paddle
  17. suit — to fit
  18. row — a line
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. face — part of the head
  21. bark — a dog's sound
  22. suit — clothes
  23. key — the most important part
  24. bark — of a tree

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