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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 120 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. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  4. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  5. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  6. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  7. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  8. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  11. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  14. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  15. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  16. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  17. My father caught me by the ________________.
  18. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  19. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  20. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  21. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  22. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  23. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  24. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. net — after costs
  3. bark — of a tree
  4. scale — size or range
  5. dip — to sink
  6. club — for dancing
  7. scale — for weighing
  8. club — a group
  9. net — for catching
  10. current — electric
  11. club — for golf
  12. net — in sport
  13. current — happening now
  14. scale — in music
  15. current — of water
  16. dip — a sauce
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. face — part of the head
  19. arm — a part of something
  20. bark — a dog's sound
  21. bark — to shout
  22. face — to point toward
  23. face — to confront
  24. dip — to dunk

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