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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 116 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. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  2. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  3. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  9. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  14. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  15. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  16. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  17. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  18. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  19. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  22. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. bark — of a tree
  2. can — a tin
  3. fine — a penalty
  4. land — a country
  5. mark — a trace
  6. last — to go on
  7. court — of law
  8. face — to point toward
  9. face — part of the head
  10. court — for sport
  11. court — of a king
  12. land — ground
  13. bark — a dog's sound
  14. mark — to pay attention
  15. face — to confront
  16. can — to be able to
  17. fine — high quality
  18. bark — to shout
  19. can — a tin
  20. last — finally
  21. fine — all right
  22. mark — a grade
  23. land — to come down
  24. last — final

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