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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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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. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  2. She's very handy with a ________________.
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  8. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  9. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  18. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. That must've been a ________________.
  22. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  23. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — to attach or keep to
  2. saw — the tool
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. sharp — clever
  5. bark — a dog's sound
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. bark — to shout
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. rush — hurry
  10. face — to point toward
  11. court — of law
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. face — part of the head
  14. court — for sport
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. mine — for digging
  17. rush — to hurry
  18. bark — of a tree
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. court — of a king
  21. rush — a thrill
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. face — to confront
  24. saw — the tool

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