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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 was ________________ to happen.
  2. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  3. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  4. The King held a masked ________________.
  5. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  8. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  11. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  12. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. How do you ________________ your surname?
  16. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  17. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  18. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  19. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  20. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  21. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  22. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. The kitten curled into a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — certain
  2. bark — to shout
  3. bark — of a tree
  4. ball — a dance
  5. face — to point toward
  6. spell — a short time
  7. face — part of the head
  8. fall — to drop
  9. spell — magic
  10. face — to confront
  11. bark — a dog's sound
  12. mouse — for a computer
  13. file — a tool
  14. file — a line of people
  15. spell — letters
  16. fall — the season
  17. bound — obliged
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. fall — to drop
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. ball — a great time
  22. file — a document
  23. bound — tied together
  24. ball — a round shape

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