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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. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  2. When are we going to ________________?
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  5. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  6. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  7. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  8. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  9. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  10. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  11. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  14. I can't ________________ this cold.
  15. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  16. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  19. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  23. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  24. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — of a tree
  2. land — to come down
  3. land — a country
  4. pit — in a race
  5. stand — for spectators
  6. stand — on your feet
  7. bark — a dog's sound
  8. kid — to tease
  9. pit — a fruit stone
  10. scale — for weighing
  11. scale — size or range
  12. scale — in music
  13. face — part of the head
  14. stand — to bear
  15. bark — to shout
  16. fine — a penalty
  17. face — to point toward
  18. fine — high quality
  19. pit — a hole
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. land — ground
  22. fine — all right
  23. kid — child
  24. face — to confront

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