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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. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  2. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  3. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  7. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  8. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  11. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  12. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  13. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. The ________________ went through the wall.
  16. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  17. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  18. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  19. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  20. Did you ________________ the button?
  21. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  22. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  23. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — to shout
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. ruler — for measuring
  4. track — a path
  5. last — finally
  6. face — to point toward
  7. press — newspapers
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. last — final
  10. press — a publisher
  11. track — to keep track
  12. nail — on a finger
  13. face — part of the head
  14. track — a song
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. ruler — a monarch
  17. face — to confront
  18. bark — a dog's sound
  19. dip — a sauce
  20. press — to push
  21. bark — of a tree
  22. dip — to dunk
  23. dip — to sink
  24. last — to go on

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