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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. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  2. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  3. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  4. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  5. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  6. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  7. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  8. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  9. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  10. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  13. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. When was this ________________ built?
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  18. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  19. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  20. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  21. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  22. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  23. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  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. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. face — part of the head
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. rest — what's left
  6. rest — what's left
  7. perch — the fish
  8. face — to point toward
  9. bark — to shout
  10. face — to confront
  11. last — to go on
  12. board — a committee
  13. rest — a break
  14. last — finally
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. last — final
  17. bark — of a tree
  18. kid — to tease
  19. board — to get on
  20. board — a flat piece
  21. temple — side of the head
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. kid — child
  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