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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 120 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. He is an ace ________________.
  2. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  3. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  4. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  5. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  6. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  7. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  8. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. I'll be taking the ________________.
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  13. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  14. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  15. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  16. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  17. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  20. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  21. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  24. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. chip — in a computer
  3. racket — a loud noise
  4. tube — in a tire
  5. tube — a container
  6. lean — to bend
  7. face — to confront
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. face — to point toward
  10. tube — the underground
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. board — a flat piece
  13. bark — of a tree
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. lean — to rest against
  16. board — to get on
  17. chip — for betting
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. board — a committee
  20. chip — to eat
  21. lean — thin
  22. bark — to shout
  23. face — part of the head
  24. bark — a dog's sound

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