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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. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  2. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  3. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  4. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  5. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  6. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  9. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  10. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  11. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  12. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  13. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  14. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  19. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  22. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  23. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. club — for dancing
  4. face — part of the head
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. bark — a dog's sound
  7. spring — of water
  8. bark — of a tree
  9. chip — in a computer
  10. perch — the fish
  11. stick — to attach or keep to
  12. chip — to eat
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. face — to point toward
  15. last — finally
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. last — to go on
  18. bark — to shout
  19. club — for golf
  20. spring — the season
  21. last — final
  22. chip — for betting
  23. club — a group
  24. spring — a coil

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