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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. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  2. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  3. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  4. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  7. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  8. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  9. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  10. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  13. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  14. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  15. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  18. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  19. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  20. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  21. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  22. The tickets are free of ________________.
  23. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  24. He is as ________________ as a wolf.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — in control
  2. craft — boats
  3. bark — a dog's sound
  4. lean — to rest against
  5. face — to confront
  6. degree — an amount
  7. craft — a handicraft
  8. fork — to eat with
  9. bark — to shout
  10. lean — to bend
  11. degree — from a university
  12. face — to point toward
  13. kid — to tease
  14. craft — a skill
  15. bark — of a tree
  16. kid — child
  17. fork — a garden tool
  18. charge — electricity
  19. degree — temperature
  20. fork — in a road
  21. face — part of the head
  22. charge — a price
  23. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  24. lean — thin

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