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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. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  2. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  3. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  4. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  5. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  8. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  9. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  10. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  11. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  12. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  13. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  14. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. Have you met the new head ________________?
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  19. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  20. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  21. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  24. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — a dog's sound
  2. fall — to drop
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. bark — of a tree
  5. bark — to shout
  6. net — after costs
  7. kid — to tease
  8. coach — pulled by horses
  9. staff — employees
  10. present — a gift
  11. fall — to drop
  12. face — to confront
  13. staff — employees
  14. present — the time now
  15. net — for catching
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. face — to point toward
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  19. face — part of the head
  20. kid — child
  21. staff — a stick
  22. net — in sport
  23. fall — the season
  24. present — there

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