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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. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  6. Have you settled on a ________________?
  7. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  8. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  9. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  10. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. We're on a ________________ here.
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  15. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  16. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  19. The ________________ took off on time.
  20. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  21. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  22. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  23. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  24. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a cake
  2. land — ground
  3. face — part of the head
  4. land — a country
  5. bark — of a tree
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. date — the fruit
  8. plane — in geometry
  9. present — a gift
  10. bark — a dog's sound
  11. land — to come down
  12. roll — on a roll
  13. bark — to shout
  14. face — to confront
  15. ruler — a monarch
  16. present — there
  17. face — to point toward
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. plane — an aircraft
  20. present — the time now
  21. roll — a list
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. plane — a tool

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