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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. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  2. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  3. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  4. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. The tickets are free of ________________.
  7. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  8. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  12. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. We're on a ________________ here.
  15. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  16. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  17. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  18. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  19. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  20. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  21. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  22. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  23. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  24. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — of a tree
  2. pound — to hit hard
  3. dip — to dunk
  4. deal — to handle
  5. face — to confront
  6. charge — a price
  7. bark — to shout
  8. deal — an agreement
  9. net — after costs
  10. net — in sport
  11. face — to point toward
  12. deal — a big deal
  13. net — for catching
  14. roll — on a roll
  15. roll — a cake
  16. pound — for dogs
  17. dip — a sauce
  18. pound — a weight
  19. roll — a list
  20. charge — in control
  21. face — part of the head
  22. bark — a dog's sound
  23. charge — electricity
  24. dip — to sink

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