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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. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  2. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  3. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  4. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  5. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  6. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  7. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  8. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  9. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  10. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  11. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  12. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  13. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  14. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  15. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  18. This piece is in a major ________________.
  19. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  20. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  21. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  22. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  23. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  24. She had a strange look on her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to point toward
  2. bark — to shout
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. stick — to attach or keep to
  5. key — the most important part
  6. race — the arms race
  7. race — a contest
  8. track — a path
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. snap — to click
  11. track — to keep track
  12. bark — a dog's sound
  13. race — humankind
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. snap — to speak sharply
  16. track — a song
  17. bark — of a tree
  18. key — in music
  19. hide — animal skin
  20. key — for a lock
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. face — to confront
  23. snap — to snap out of it
  24. face — part of the head

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