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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. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  5. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  6. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  9. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  10. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  11. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  12. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  13. Have you found your soul ________________?
  14. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  15. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  16. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  17. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  18. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  19. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  20. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  21. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  24. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — of a tree
  2. mate — a friend
  3. prune — to trim
  4. face — part of the head
  5. stick — to attach or keep to
  6. chip — in a computer
  7. prune — to trim
  8. face — to confront
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. bark — a dog's sound
  11. dip — to sink
  12. mate — to breed
  13. mate — a partner
  14. face — to point toward
  15. pitch — a sports field
  16. dip — to dunk
  17. chip — to eat
  18. prune — the fruit
  19. pitch — a sales talk
  20. dip — a sauce
  21. pitch — completely
  22. bark — to shout
  23. chip — for betting
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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