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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. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  2. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  4. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  7. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  8. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  9. This piece is in a major ________________.
  10. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  11. The tickets are free of ________________.
  12. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  13. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  16. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  19. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  20. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  21. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  22. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  23. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  24. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.

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

Answer key

  1. face — part of the head
  2. face — to point toward
  3. key — the most important part
  4. cue — for pool
  5. wound — an injury
  6. cue — a hint
  7. bark — of a tree
  8. chair — a professorship
  9. key — in music
  10. chair — a leader
  11. charge — a price
  12. cue — a signal
  13. chest — of your body
  14. wound — an injury
  15. chair — to sit on
  16. bark — a dog's sound
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. chest — a box
  19. charge — electricity
  20. charge — in control
  21. face — to confront
  22. key — for a lock
  23. chest — of your body
  24. bark — to shout

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