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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. Where did you ________________ them?
  2. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  5. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  9. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  10. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  11. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  12. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  13. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. Have you found your soul ________________?
  16. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  17. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  18. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  19. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  20. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  21. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  22. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  23. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  24. The spa offers ________________ extensions.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — to rob
  2. face — part of the head
  3. face — to confront
  4. bat — in an idiom
  5. present — there
  6. tube — the underground
  7. bat — the animal
  8. face — to point toward
  9. lash — a whip stroke
  10. mug — a face
  11. lash — to lash out
  12. bat — for baseball
  13. tube — a container
  14. bark — to shout
  15. mate — a partner
  16. mate — a friend
  17. mate — to breed
  18. bark — of a tree
  19. bark — a dog's sound
  20. tube — in a tire
  21. present — the time now
  22. present — a gift
  23. mug — a cup
  24. lash — an eyelash

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