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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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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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. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  2. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  4. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  5. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  6. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  7. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  8. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  9. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  10. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  11. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  12. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  13. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  14. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  15. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  19. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  20. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  21. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  24. I'll be taking the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. face — to confront
  3. race — humankind
  4. stick — to attach or keep to
  5. bark — a dog's sound
  6. snap — to click
  7. face — to point toward
  8. race — a contest
  9. degree — from a university
  10. bark — of a tree
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. tube — in a tire
  13. snap — to snap out of it
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. face — part of the head
  16. degree — an amount
  17. degree — temperature
  18. hide — animal skin
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. snap — to speak sharply
  21. tube — a container
  22. bark — to shout
  23. race — the arms race
  24. tube — the underground

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