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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. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  3. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  4. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  5. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  6. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  7. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  8. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  9. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  12. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  13. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  14. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  19. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  20. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  21. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  22. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  23. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  24. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. drill — a practice
  3. chest — of your body
  4. rest — a break
  5. face — to point toward
  6. rush — to hurry
  7. bark — a dog's sound
  8. face — to confront
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. rush — hurry
  12. chest — of your body
  13. stick — to attach or keep to
  14. chest — a box
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. bark — to shout
  18. bat — for baseball
  19. rest — what's left
  20. rest — what's left
  21. face — part of the head
  22. drill — army training
  23. drill — the tool
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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