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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. That must've been a ________________.
  2. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. My mare is ________________ in color.
  4. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  7. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  8. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  11. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  12. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  17. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  18. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  19. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  22. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  23. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  24. She had a strange look on her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — a thrill
  2. bark — of a tree
  3. bay — a horse colour
  4. pit — in a race
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. kick — a thrill
  7. kick — with a leg
  8. rush — to hurry
  9. face — to point toward
  10. face — to confront
  11. kick — in football
  12. bark — to shout
  13. field — for sport
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. field — farmland
  16. bay — to keep at bay
  17. pit — a fruit stone
  18. bark — a dog's sound
  19. rush — hurry
  20. field — a subject
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. pit — a hole
  23. bay — a part of the sea
  24. face — part of the head

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