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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. The King held a masked ________________.
  3. This piece is in a major ________________.
  4. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  5. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  6. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  7. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  10. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  13. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  14. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  15. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  19. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  20. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  23. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  24. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — to shout
  2. ball — a dance
  3. key — in music
  4. firm — a company
  5. key — the most important part
  6. ball — a great time
  7. face — part of the head
  8. season — in sport
  9. lean — to bend
  10. clip — to cut
  11. clip — for paper
  12. key — for a lock
  13. ball — a round shape
  14. bark — of a tree
  15. face — to confront
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. face — to point toward
  18. firm — steady
  19. clip — a video
  20. lean — to rest against
  21. season — of the year
  22. firm — decided
  23. lean — thin
  24. bark — a dog's sound

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