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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. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  2. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  7. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  8. The King held a masked ________________.
  9. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  10. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  11. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  12. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  15. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  18. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  24. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.

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

Answer key

  1. face — part of the head
  2. bat — in an idiom
  3. wound — an injury
  4. kick — a thrill
  5. face — to confront
  6. ball — a round shape
  7. present — there
  8. ball — a dance
  9. ball — a great time
  10. bark — of a tree
  11. bound — tied together
  12. bark — a dog's sound
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. face — to point toward
  15. present — the time now
  16. bound — obliged
  17. present — a gift
  18. kick — with a leg
  19. bound — certain
  20. bark — to shout
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. wound — an injury
  23. kick — in football
  24. bat — the animal

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