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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 the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  2. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  3. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  4. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  5. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  8. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  12. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  13. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  14. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  15. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  16. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  19. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  20. Have you met the new head ________________?
  21. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  22. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  23. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  24. He has no idea where the ________________ is.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. lean — thin
  3. bark — of a tree
  4. lean — to bend
  5. bark — to shout
  6. face — part of the head
  7. chip — to eat
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. face — to point toward
  10. wind — moving air
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. face — to confront
  13. bark — a dog's sound
  14. chip — for betting
  15. race — the arms race
  16. race — humankind
  17. wind — moving air
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. chip — in a computer
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. wind — to turn a key
  22. lean — to rest against
  23. race — a contest
  24. safe — a strongbox

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