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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. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. That must've been a ________________.
  7. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  11. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  12. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  13. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  14. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  15. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  16. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  17. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  18. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  19. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  20. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  23. I'll be taking the ________________.
  24. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. face — to point toward
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. game — wild animals
  6. rush — a thrill
  7. bark — a dog's sound
  8. last — finally
  9. last — to go on
  10. tube — a container
  11. face — part of the head
  12. bark — of a tree
  13. pitch — a sports field
  14. lean — thin
  15. rush — to hurry
  16. pitch — a sales talk
  17. face — to confront
  18. rush — hurry
  19. lean — to bend
  20. pitch — completely
  21. game — a match
  22. lean — to rest against
  23. tube — the underground
  24. bark — to shout

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