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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. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  2. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  3. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  4. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  8. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  9. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  10. Have you found your soul ________________?
  11. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  12. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  13. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  16. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  20. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  21. The ________________ market has crashed.
  22. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  23. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  24. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. firm — decided
  3. bark — to shout
  4. firm — steady
  5. mate — a friend
  6. mate — to breed
  7. staff — a stick
  8. vault — a safe
  9. vault — in gymnastics
  10. mate — a partner
  11. face — to point toward
  12. staff — employees
  13. face — part of the head
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. pitch — a sports field
  16. firm — a company
  17. stock — goods
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. vault — an arched ceiling
  20. pitch — a sales talk
  21. stock — shares
  22. pitch — completely
  23. bark — of a tree
  24. staff — employees

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