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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. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  4. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  5. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  8. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  9. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  13. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  16. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  17. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  18. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  19. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  20. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  23. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  24. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.

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

Answer key

  1. face — part of the head
  2. march — music
  3. face — to point toward
  4. bark — a dog's sound
  5. foot — a measure
  6. march — the month
  7. foot — part of the body
  8. bark — of a tree
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. march — the month
  11. sharp — clever
  12. bowl — to roll
  13. cap — a hat
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. cap — a lid
  16. bark — to shout
  17. cap — of ice
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. bowl — a dish
  20. face — to confront
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. bowl — a football final
  23. stick — to attach or keep to
  24. foot — the bottom

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