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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. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  2. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  5. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  6. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  7. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  8. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  9. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  10. David sat on the ________________.
  11. There's no middle ________________.
  12. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  16. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  19. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  20. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  21. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  24. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — to shout
  2. fine — high quality
  3. net — in sport
  4. face — to point toward
  5. ground — the earth
  6. lash — to lash out
  7. face — to confront
  8. lash — an eyelash
  9. swing — music
  10. swing — to play on
  11. ground — a position
  12. rest — a break
  13. ground — crushed
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. rest — what's left
  16. swing — in golf
  17. net — for catching
  18. fine — all right
  19. bark — of a tree
  20. face — part of the head
  21. fine — a penalty
  22. net — after costs
  23. rest — what's left
  24. lash — a whip stroke

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