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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 took the fish out of the ________________.
  2. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  9. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  10. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  11. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  12. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  16. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  17. He was locked up in a ________________.
  18. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  21. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  24. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.

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

Answer key

  1. net — for catching
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. sharp — clever
  5. face — part of the head
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. face — to confront
  9. cell — a phone
  10. lash — to lash out
  11. trunk — of a tree
  12. cell — in biology
  13. net — after costs
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. lash — a whip stroke
  16. face — to point toward
  17. cell — in a prison
  18. lash — an eyelash
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. bark — of a tree
  21. trunk — of an elephant
  22. net — in sport
  23. bark — to shout
  24. bark — a dog's sound

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