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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 ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  3. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  4. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  10. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  16. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  17. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  18. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  19. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  20. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  21. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  22. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  23. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  24. When was this ________________ built?

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. wind — to turn a key
  3. bear — to put up with
  4. bark — of a tree
  5. face — part of the head
  6. net — for catching
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. wind — moving air
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. face — to confront
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. vault — an arched ceiling
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. net — after costs
  15. temple — side of the head
  16. bark — a dog's sound
  17. bark — to shout
  18. vault — a safe
  19. face — to point toward
  20. bear — the animal
  21. wind — moving air
  22. bear — the animal
  23. vault — in gymnastics
  24. temple — a place of worship

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