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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. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  2. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  3. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  4. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  5. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  6. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  9. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  13. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  14. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. Have you met the new head ________________?
  17. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  18. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  19. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  20. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  21. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  22. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  23. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — the tool
  2. rest — what's left
  3. face — part of the head
  4. drill — army training
  5. face — to point toward
  6. face — to confront
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. bark — of a tree
  9. jam — a tight spot
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. bat — the animal
  12. rest — what's left
  13. jam — to spread on bread
  14. coach — pulled by horses
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. rest — a break
  18. drill — a practice
  19. bark — to shout
  20. bark — a dog's sound
  21. jam — in traffic
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. sharp — clever
  24. bat — in an idiom

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