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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. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  3. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  4. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  5. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  8. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  9. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  10. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  11. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  12. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  15. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  16. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  21. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  24. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. face — part of the head
  3. trunk — of a tree
  4. pound — to hit hard
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. last — final
  7. file — a document
  8. squash — the sport
  9. trunk — of an elephant
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. file — a line of people
  12. bark — to shout
  13. face — to point toward
  14. calf — of the leg
  15. bark — of a tree
  16. bark — a dog's sound
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. squash — the vegetable
  19. file — a tool
  20. pound — for dogs
  21. pound — a weight
  22. last — to go on
  23. squash — to crush
  24. face — to confront

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