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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. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  2. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  10. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. What do you think of the new ________________?
  13. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  14. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  15. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  16. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  21. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  22. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  23. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  24. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. bark — of a tree
  2. mate — a partner
  3. pit — in a race
  4. sharp — clever
  5. pit — a hole
  6. last — finally
  7. face — to point toward
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. mate — to breed
  10. face — to confront
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. cap — a hat
  14. cap — a lid
  15. bark — to shout
  16. cabinet — a cupboard
  17. last — final
  18. face — part of the head
  19. last — to go on
  20. bark — a dog's sound
  21. mate — a friend
  22. cap — of ice
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. pit — a fruit stone

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