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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. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  2. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  10. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  11. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  12. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  13. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  19. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  20. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  21. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  22. How do you ________________ your surname?
  23. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — a dog's sound
  2. face — to point toward
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. game — a match
  5. can — a tin
  6. shower — to wash
  7. bark — to shout
  8. spell — a short time
  9. shower — a meteor shower
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. face — part of the head
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. can — a tin
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. shower — rain
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. spell — magic
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. calf — of the leg
  20. can — to be able to
  21. ruler — a monarch
  22. spell — letters
  23. face — to confront
  24. game — wild animals

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