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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 don't want to ________________ the boat.
  2. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  3. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  7. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  8. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  9. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  10. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  11. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  14. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  17. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  20. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. The ________________ went through the wall.
  23. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  24. We were using a ________________ as a seat.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — to move gently
  2. staff — employees
  3. hide — animal skin
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. face — to point toward
  7. nail — on a finger
  8. bark — a dog's sound
  9. bark — to shout
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. march — the month
  13. face — to confront
  14. bark — of a tree
  15. march — music
  16. staff — employees
  17. staff — a stick
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. face — part of the head
  21. march — the month
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. rock — music
  24. rock — a stone

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