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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. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  2. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  6. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  7. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  10. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  11. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  12. The King held a masked ________________.
  13. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  14. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  15. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. That was ________________ to happen.
  18. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  19. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  20. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  21. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  22. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  23. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  24. She got the top ________________ in the exam.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. bark — of a tree
  3. hand — help
  4. bound — obliged
  5. safe — a strongbox
  6. jam — a tight spot
  7. jam — to spread on bread
  8. hand — in cards
  9. mark — to pay attention
  10. bound — tied together
  11. jam — in traffic
  12. ball — a dance
  13. ball — a round shape
  14. face — part of the head
  15. mark — a trace
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. bound — certain
  18. face — to point toward
  19. bark — to shout
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. face — to confront
  22. ball — a great time
  23. bark — a dog's sound
  24. mark — a grade

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