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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 don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  2. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  5. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  6. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  7. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  8. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  11. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  15. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  18. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  19. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  20. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  21. He was locked up in a ________________.
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. face — to confront
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. bark — a dog's sound
  6. mouse — for a computer
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. cell — in biology
  9. net — in sport
  10. vault — an arched ceiling
  11. face — part of the head
  12. sharp — clever
  13. net — for catching
  14. cell — a phone
  15. bark — of a tree
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. vault — in gymnastics
  18. vault — a safe
  19. face — to point toward
  20. bark — to shout
  21. cell — in a prison
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. net — after costs

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