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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. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. He is an ace ________________.
  3. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  4. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  5. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  6. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  7. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  8. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  9. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  10. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  11. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  14. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  15. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  16. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  17. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  18. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  19. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  20. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  21. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  22. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  23. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  24. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. race — a contest
  4. leaves — lets stay
  5. pass — to spend time
  6. face — to confront
  7. scale — in music
  8. bark — a dog's sound
  9. fall — to drop
  10. pass — a permit
  11. face — to point toward
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. pass — to succeed
  14. race — the arms race
  15. bark — to shout
  16. race — humankind
  17. leaves — of a tree
  18. bark — of a tree
  19. scale — for weighing
  20. fall — to drop
  21. face — part of the head
  22. fall — the season
  23. leaves — to go away
  24. scale — size or range

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