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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. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  2. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  4. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  7. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  8. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  9. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  10. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  11. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  12. We're almost out of ________________.
  13. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  14. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  15. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  16. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  17. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  20. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  21. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  22. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  23. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  24. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — a break
  2. bark — of a tree
  3. pound — for dogs
  4. rest — what's left
  5. pop — to visit
  6. pit — a fruit stone
  7. face — to point toward
  8. bark — a dog's sound
  9. bark — to shout
  10. pit — in a race
  11. pound — a weight
  12. pop — soda
  13. pit — a hole
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. face — to confront
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. pop — music
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. fan — to cool the air
  20. rush — to hurry
  21. face — part of the head
  22. pound — to hit hard
  23. rush — hurry
  24. rest — what's left

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