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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. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  2. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  4. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  5. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  6. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  7. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  8. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  9. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  10. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  11. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  12. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  13. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. Where did you ________________ them?
  16. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  17. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  19. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  20. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  21. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  22. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  23. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. face — part of the head
  2. face — to point toward
  3. cap — a lid
  4. cap — of ice
  5. squash — the sport
  6. squash — the vegetable
  7. bark — a dog's sound
  8. mug — a cup
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. pit — a fruit stone
  11. bark — to shout
  12. pit — a hole
  13. bark — of a tree
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. mug — to rob
  16. face — to confront
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. straw — dry grass
  19. hide — animal skin
  20. mug — a face
  21. squash — to crush
  22. pit — in a race
  23. cap — a hat
  24. straw — a straw man

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