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

Word bank: bark · face · chest · mate · pass · club · cell · hide

  1. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  2. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  4. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  7. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  10. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  11. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  12. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. Have you found your soul ________________?
  15. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  16. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  17. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  18. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  19. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  20. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  21. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  22. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  23. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  24. He was locked up in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. bark — of a tree
  3. club — for dancing
  4. cell — in biology
  5. mate — a friend
  6. hide — animal skin
  7. face — to confront
  8. mate — to breed
  9. pass — to spend time
  10. bark — to shout
  11. pass — to succeed
  12. pass — a permit
  13. face — to point toward
  14. mate — a partner
  15. face — part of the head
  16. cell — a phone
  17. bark — a dog's sound
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. club — a group
  20. club — for golf
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. chest — a box
  23. chest — of your body
  24. cell — in a prison

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