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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 120 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.

Make a worksheet

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. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  3. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  4. I'll be taking the ________________.
  5. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  6. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  9. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  10. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  13. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  14. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  15. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  20. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  24. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. face — part of the head
  3. board — a flat piece
  4. tube — the underground
  5. face — to point toward
  6. bark — to shout
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. lash — an eyelash
  9. tube — a container
  10. kid — child
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. board — to get on
  13. lash — a whip stroke
  14. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  15. bark — a dog's sound
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. tube — in a tire
  20. lash — to lash out
  21. season — of the year
  22. season — in sport
  23. board — a committee
  24. face — to confront

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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