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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. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  2. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  3. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  4. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  5. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  6. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  7. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  8. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  9. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  10. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  11. What do you think of the new ________________?
  12. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  13. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  14. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  15. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  16. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  17. He was locked up in a ________________.
  18. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  19. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  20. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  21. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  22. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  23. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  24. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. bark — a dog's sound
  3. cabinet — a cupboard
  4. bark — to shout
  5. pitch — a sales talk
  6. chair — a professorship
  7. face — to point toward
  8. snap — to click
  9. racket — a loud noise
  10. pitch — completely
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. snap — to speak sharply
  13. chair — to sit on
  14. bark — of a tree
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. cell — a phone
  17. cell — in a prison
  18. face — part of the head
  19. snap — to snap out of it
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. chair — a leader
  22. pitch — a sports field
  23. face — to confront
  24. cell — in biology

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