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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. The ________________ took off on time.
  2. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  4. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  7. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  8. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  9. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  10. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  11. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  12. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  13. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  14. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  15. She's very handy with a ________________.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. He works in a ________________ mill.
  24. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — an aircraft
  2. bark — of a tree
  3. kick — a thrill
  4. bark — to shout
  5. face — part of the head
  6. saw — past of 'see'
  7. face — to point toward
  8. kick — in football
  9. face — to confront
  10. bark — a dog's sound
  11. race — the arms race
  12. plane — in geometry
  13. plane — a tool
  14. race — humankind
  15. saw — the tool
  16. net — for catching
  17. net — in sport
  18. race — a contest
  19. last — finally
  20. net — after costs
  21. last — final
  22. last — to go on
  23. saw — the tool
  24. kick — with a leg

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