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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. David sat on the ________________.
  2. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  3. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  4. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  5. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  6. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  7. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  8. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  9. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  10. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  11. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  12. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  15. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  16. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  17. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  18. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  19. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  20. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  23. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  24. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — to play on
  2. jam — a tight spot
  3. bark — a dog's sound
  4. kid — to tease
  5. jam — in traffic
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. bark — of a tree
  8. face — to confront
  9. bowl — to roll
  10. bowl — a dish
  11. bowl — a football final
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. lie — to recline
  15. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  16. face — to point toward
  17. kid — child
  18. jam — to spread on bread
  19. swing — music
  20. bark — to shout
  21. game — wild animals
  22. face — part of the head
  23. swing — in golf
  24. game — a match

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