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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. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  2. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  4. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  5. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  6. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  9. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  10. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  14. The ________________ took off on time.
  15. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  16. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  17. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  18. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  19. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  20. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  21. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  22. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  23. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  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. pit — a fruit stone
  2. face — to point toward
  3. staff — employees
  4. bark — of a tree
  5. wind — moving air
  6. plane — in geometry
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. pound — for dogs
  9. pound — to hit hard
  10. pound — a weight
  11. bat — the animal
  12. wind — moving air
  13. plane — a tool
  14. plane — an aircraft
  15. bark — to shout
  16. pit — a hole
  17. staff — a stick
  18. pit — in a race
  19. face — to confront
  20. staff — employees
  21. wind — to turn a key
  22. bat — in an idiom
  23. bark — a dog's sound
  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