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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. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  2. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  5. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  6. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  7. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  8. That must've been a ________________.
  9. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  12. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  17. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  18. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  19. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — on the skin
  2. face — part of the head
  3. net — after costs
  4. pitch — a sales talk
  5. bark — of a tree
  6. firm — decided
  7. bark — a dog's sound
  8. rush — a thrill
  9. face — to confront
  10. rash — hasty
  11. bark — to shout
  12. pitch — a sports field
  13. court — for sport
  14. rush — hurry
  15. court — of law
  16. rush — to hurry
  17. firm — a company
  18. face — to point toward
  19. pitch — completely
  20. net — in sport
  21. court — of a king
  22. firm — steady
  23. rash — a series
  24. net — for catching

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