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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. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  2. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  3. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  4. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  5. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  6. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  9. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  10. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  11. The King held a masked ________________.
  12. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  13. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  14. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  19. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  20. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  21. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  22. How do you ________________ your surname?
  23. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  24. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to point toward
  2. face — part of the head
  3. kick — with a leg
  4. kick — in football
  5. ruler — a monarch
  6. bat — in an idiom
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. bark — to shout
  10. bark — of a tree
  11. ball — a dance
  12. ball — a round shape
  13. bark — a dog's sound
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. spell — a short time
  16. ball — a great time
  17. bat — the animal
  18. face — to confront
  19. spell — magic
  20. pitch — a sports field
  21. pitch — a sales talk
  22. spell — letters
  23. kick — a thrill
  24. pitch — completely

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