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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. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  10. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  11. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  12. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  15. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  16. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  17. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  18. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. face — to confront
  4. pass — to spend time
  5. prune — to trim
  6. prune — to trim
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. track — to keep track
  9. bark — to shout
  10. board — a committee
  11. bark — a dog's sound
  12. pass — to succeed
  13. face — to point toward
  14. face — part of the head
  15. pass — a permit
  16. board — to get on
  17. stick — to attach or keep to
  18. board — a flat piece
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. prune — the fruit
  21. track — a song
  22. track — a path
  23. rash — a series
  24. bark — of a tree

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