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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. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  2. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  3. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  8. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  11. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  12. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  13. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  16. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  17. The ball is in your ________________.
  18. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  19. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  20. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  23. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  24. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — all right
  2. bark — a dog's sound
  3. mark — a grade
  4. court — of law
  5. bark — of a tree
  6. tube — the underground
  7. pitch — completely
  8. mark — to pay attention
  9. court — of a king
  10. fine — high quality
  11. face — part of the head
  12. face — to confront
  13. pitch — a sales talk
  14. bark — to shout
  15. tube — in a tire
  16. pitch — a sports field
  17. court — for sport
  18. tear — from crying
  19. tear — from crying
  20. tube — a container
  21. face — to point toward
  22. tear — to rip
  23. mark — a trace
  24. fine — a penalty

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