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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 124 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. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  2. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  3. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  4. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  5. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  6. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  7. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  8. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  9. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  14. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  19. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  22. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  24. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. face — part of the head
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. toast — the most admired
  5. board — a flat piece
  6. bark — to shout
  7. board — to get on
  8. craft — boats
  9. craft — a handicraft
  10. wound — an injury
  11. wound — an injury
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. board — a committee
  14. toast — bread
  15. face — to point toward
  16. perch — the fish
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. bark — a dog's sound
  19. craft — a skill
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. toast — a drink to someone
  22. bark — of a tree
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. perch — for a bird

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