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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. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  3. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  4. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  5. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  6. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  7. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  8. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  9. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  13. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  14. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  15. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  16. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  17. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  19. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  20. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  21. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  22. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. Have you settled on a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. face — part of the head
  3. mark — a grade
  4. snap — to speak sharply
  5. date — the fruit
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. face — to point toward
  8. snap — to click
  9. wind — to turn a key
  10. wind — moving air
  11. game — a match
  12. mark — to pay attention
  13. pitch — a sports field
  14. mark — a trace
  15. bark — of a tree
  16. bark — a dog's sound
  17. bark — to shout
  18. face — to confront
  19. wind — moving air
  20. pitch — a sales talk
  21. snap — to snap out of it
  22. pitch — completely
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. date — on the calendar

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