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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 116 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. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  2. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  3. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  4. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  9. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  10. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  11. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  12. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  13. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  14. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  15. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  18. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  21. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  22. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  23. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  24. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — in football
  2. face — part of the head
  3. rock — to move gently
  4. bass — the fish
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. bark — to shout
  7. game — a match
  8. content — videos and posts
  9. bass — the instrument
  10. rock — music
  11. rock — a stone
  12. bark — a dog's sound
  13. bark — of a tree
  14. face — to point toward
  15. kick — with a leg
  16. content — the amount
  17. cap — of ice
  18. cap — a lid
  19. game — wild animals
  20. face — to confront
  21. kick — a thrill
  22. cap — a hat
  23. bass — low music
  24. content — happy

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