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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. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  2. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  3. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  6. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  7. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  10. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  13. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  14. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  15. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  17. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  24. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — a dog's sound
  2. face — part of the head
  3. present — a gift
  4. track — a path
  5. hide — animal skin
  6. wake — to stop sleeping
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. net — in sport
  9. content — the amount
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. wake — a trail
  12. bark — to shout
  13. bark — of a tree
  14. wake — before a funeral
  15. present — the time now
  16. track — to keep track
  17. present — there
  18. face — to confront
  19. net — after costs
  20. content — videos and posts
  21. track — a song
  22. net — for catching
  23. content — happy
  24. face — to point toward

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