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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. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  4. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  5. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  6. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  7. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  8. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  9. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  10. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  11. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  12. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  13. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  14. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  15. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  16. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  17. He was locked up in a ________________.
  18. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  19. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  20. My father caught me by the ________________.
  21. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  22. The tickets are free of ________________.
  23. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  24. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — of a tree
  2. kid — child
  3. face — to point toward
  4. rock — a stone
  5. charge — in control
  6. bark — to shout
  7. face — part of the head
  8. kid — to tease
  9. cell — in biology
  10. face — to confront
  11. firm — decided
  12. cell — a phone
  13. firm — steady
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. charge — electricity
  16. rock — music
  17. cell — in a prison
  18. rock — to move gently
  19. bark — a dog's sound
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. firm — a company
  22. charge — a price
  23. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  24. arm — a part of something

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