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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. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  2. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  3. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  4. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  5. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  6. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  9. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  10. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  11. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  12. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  13. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  14. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  17. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  18. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  19. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  20. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  21. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  24. She had a strange look on her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — to pay attention
  2. straw — a straw man
  3. jam — to spread on bread
  4. club — a group
  5. jam — a tight spot
  6. bark — a dog's sound
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. straw — dry grass
  9. club — for dancing
  10. bark — of a tree
  11. chip — for betting
  12. face — to confront
  13. chip — to eat
  14. kick — a thrill
  15. face — to point toward
  16. kick — in football
  17. club — for golf
  18. chip — in a computer
  19. kick — with a leg
  20. mark — a trace
  21. jam — in traffic
  22. bark — to shout
  23. mark — a grade
  24. face — part of the head

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