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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: bark · rock · net · face · firm · chip

  1. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  2. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  3. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  6. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  9. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  10. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  13. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  14. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  15. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  16. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — steady
  2. rock — to move gently
  3. firm — a company
  4. net — for catching
  5. firm — decided
  6. bark — a dog's sound
  7. net — in sport
  8. chip — in a computer
  9. bark — of a tree
  10. chip — for betting
  11. net — after costs
  12. face — to confront
  13. rock — a stone
  14. face — part of the head
  15. bark — to shout
  16. rock — music
  17. face — to point toward
  18. chip — to eat

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