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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. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  2. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  4. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  5. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  6. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  7. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  8. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  9. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  10. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  11. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  12. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  20. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  21. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  22. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  23. The ball is in your ________________.
  24. I'll be taking the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to point toward
  2. bark — of a tree
  3. club — for golf
  4. bark — a dog's sound
  5. court — of law
  6. club — for dancing
  7. tube — in a tire
  8. jam — in traffic
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. bark — to shout
  11. jam — a tight spot
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. court — of a king
  14. lie — to recline
  15. last — finally
  16. last — to go on
  17. last — final
  18. tube — a container
  19. jam — to spread on bread
  20. face — part of the head
  21. club — a group
  22. face — to confront
  23. court — for sport
  24. tube — the underground

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