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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 120 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. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  3. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  4. My mare is ________________ in color.
  5. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  6. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  7. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  8. He was locked up in a ________________.
  9. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  16. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  17. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  18. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  19. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  20. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  21. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  22. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  23. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  24. We were using a ________________ as a seat.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — of a tree
  2. pit — in a race
  3. bark — to shout
  4. bay — a horse colour
  5. bark — a dog's sound
  6. craft — a handicraft
  7. pit — a fruit stone
  8. cell — in a prison
  9. straw — dry grass
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. craft — boats
  12. face — part of the head
  13. craft — a skill
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. rock — music
  16. bay — to keep at bay
  17. pit — a hole
  18. cell — in biology
  19. cell — a phone
  20. rock — to move gently
  21. bay — a part of the sea
  22. face — to point toward
  23. face — to confront
  24. rock — a stone

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