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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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Word bank
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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: court · lie · bulb · face · key · chair · pitcher · bark

  1. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  2. I've got to change the light ________________.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  7. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  13. The light ________________ burned out.
  14. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  15. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  16. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  17. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  18. This piece is in a major ________________.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  21. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  22. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  23. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  24. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to point toward
  2. bulb — for light
  3. court — for sport
  4. bark — a dog's sound
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. chair — a professorship
  7. bark — of a tree
  8. face — part of the head
  9. key — for a lock
  10. court — of law
  11. court — of a king
  12. bulb — of a plant
  13. bulb — for light
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. lie — to recline
  16. face — to confront
  17. chair — to sit on
  18. key — in music
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. key — the most important part
  21. bark — to shout
  22. chair — a leader
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. lie — an untruth

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