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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. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  2. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  3. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  6. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  7. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  8. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  9. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  10. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  11. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  12. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  15. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  20. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  21. When was this ________________ built?
  22. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  23. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  24. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.

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

Answer key

  1. track — to keep track
  2. face — part of the head
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. track — a path
  5. chair — a leader
  6. face — to point toward
  7. chair — to sit on
  8. march — the month
  9. hide — animal skin
  10. lash — a whip stroke
  11. lash — to lash out
  12. lash — an eyelash
  13. march — music
  14. bark — of a tree
  15. bark — a dog's sound
  16. track — a song
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. march — the month
  19. temple — side of the head
  20. bark — to shout
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. chair — a professorship
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. face — to confront

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