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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.

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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. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  2. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  4. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  5. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  6. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  7. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  10. Have you found your soul ________________?
  11. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  22. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  23. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  24. I would like to have a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to point toward
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. racket — a loud noise
  4. rest — what's left
  5. bark — a dog's sound
  6. mate — a friend
  7. bat — in an idiom
  8. last — to go on
  9. bark — of a tree
  10. mate — a partner
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. last — finally
  13. rest — what's left
  14. wake — a trail
  15. bark — to shout
  16. bat — the animal
  17. face — part of the head
  18. last — final
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. face — to confront
  22. mate — to breed
  23. bat — for baseball
  24. rest — a break

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