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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. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  4. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  5. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  6. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  7. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. The tickets are free of ________________.
  12. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  15. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  18. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  19. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  20. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  21. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  22. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  23. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  24. She got the top ________________ in the exam.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — to hit hard
  2. last — final
  3. root — of a plant
  4. face — to confront
  5. mark — to pay attention
  6. charge — in control
  7. face — part of the head
  8. last — finally
  9. last — to go on
  10. face — to point toward
  11. charge — a price
  12. bark — a dog's sound
  13. bound — obliged
  14. mark — a trace
  15. charge — electricity
  16. bound — certain
  17. root — of a word
  18. bark — to shout
  19. pound — for dogs
  20. bound — tied together
  21. pound — a weight
  22. bark — of a tree
  23. root — the cause
  24. mark — a grade

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