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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. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  2. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  3. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  4. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  5. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  6. What do you think of the new ________________?
  7. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  19. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  20. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  21. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  22. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  23. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  24. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. bark — a dog's sound
  3. stick — to attach or keep to
  4. cabinet — a cupboard
  5. object — an aim
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. board — to get on
  8. face — part of the head
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. season — of the year
  11. field — farmland
  12. bark — to shout
  13. field — for sport
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. face — to point toward
  16. season — in sport
  17. field — a subject
  18. object — to protest
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. board — a flat piece
  21. board — a committee
  22. object — a thing
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. bark — of a tree

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