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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. We're on a ________________ here.
  2. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  3. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  4. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  8. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  9. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  12. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  13. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  14. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  15. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  16. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  17. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  18. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  21. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  22. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  23. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  24. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — on a roll
  2. bark — to shout
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. bark — of a tree
  5. saw — the tool
  6. saw — the tool
  7. bark — a dog's sound
  8. staff — employees
  9. lie — to recline
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. mark — a trace
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. face — to confront
  14. roll — a list
  15. straw — to clutch at straws
  16. mark — a grade
  17. face — part of the head
  18. staff — a stick
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. mark — to pay attention
  21. staff — employees
  22. face — to point toward
  23. roll — a cake
  24. straw — dry grass

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