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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. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  2. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  3. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  6. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  7. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  8. The ________________ took off on time.
  9. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  18. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  19. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  20. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  21. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  24. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. face — part of the head
  2. bound — obliged
  3. plane — a tool
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. bark — of a tree
  6. plane — in geometry
  7. track — a path
  8. plane — an aircraft
  9. wake — before a funeral
  10. wake — a trail
  11. mine — for digging
  12. track — a song
  13. bark — to shout
  14. bound — certain
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. bound — tied together
  17. bark — a dog's sound
  18. face — to point toward
  19. face — to confront
  20. track — to keep track
  21. wake — to stop sleeping
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. chair — a leader
  24. chair — to sit on

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