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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. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  3. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  4. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  5. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  6. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  7. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  10. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  11. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  12. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  13. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  14. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  15. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  16. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  17. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  18. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  19. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  20. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  21. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  24. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. pound — for dogs
  3. rock — a stone
  4. face — to point toward
  5. lash — to lash out
  6. present — there
  7. present — a gift
  8. last — to go on
  9. lash — a whip stroke
  10. bark — a dog's sound
  11. bark — of a tree
  12. chest — a box
  13. pound — to hit hard
  14. present — the time now
  15. rock — to move gently
  16. rock — music
  17. face — part of the head
  18. lash — an eyelash
  19. pound — a weight
  20. face — to confront
  21. chest — of your body
  22. last — final
  23. bark — to shout
  24. chest — of your body

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