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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. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  2. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  4. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  5. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  6. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. My father caught me by the ________________.
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  13. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  16. The ________________ went through the wall.
  17. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  18. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  19. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  20. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.

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

Answer key

  1. face — part of the head
  2. last — finally
  3. kid — to tease
  4. face — to confront
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. kid — child
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. last — to go on
  10. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. bark — of a tree
  13. bark — a dog's sound
  14. game — a match
  15. nail — on a finger
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. bark — to shout
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. arm — a part of something
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. face — to point toward
  22. game — wild animals
  23. last — final
  24. hide — animal skin

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