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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. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  2. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  3. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  4. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  5. My mare is ________________ in color.
  6. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  11. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  15. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  16. Where did you ________________ them?
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  19. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  22. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  23. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  24. David sat on the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — government
  2. face — part of the head
  3. face — to point toward
  4. swing — music
  5. bay — a horse colour
  6. mug — a cup
  7. hand — help
  8. bark — a dog's sound
  9. hand — in cards
  10. bay — to keep at bay
  11. bark — of a tree
  12. net — for catching
  13. net — after costs
  14. rule — a law
  15. rule — to rule out
  16. mug — to rob
  17. net — in sport
  18. mug — a face
  19. bark — to shout
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. face — to confront
  22. bay — a part of the sea
  23. swing — in golf
  24. swing — to play 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