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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: face · roll · pit · bark · present · cell · charge · cold

  1. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  2. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  3. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  4. We're on a ________________ here.
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  7. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  8. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  9. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  10. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  11. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  12. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  13. The water is too ________________.
  14. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  15. He was locked up in a ________________.
  16. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  17. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  18. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  19. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  20. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  21. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  22. The tickets are free of ________________.
  23. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  24. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.

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

Answer key

  1. present — the time now
  2. cell — a phone
  3. bark — of a tree
  4. roll — on a roll
  5. face — to confront
  6. cell — in biology
  7. cold — the Cold War
  8. face — to point toward
  9. pit — a fruit stone
  10. pit — in a race
  11. face — part of the head
  12. present — there
  13. cold — not warm
  14. roll — a cake
  15. cell — in a prison
  16. charge — electricity
  17. pit — a hole
  18. bark — a dog's sound
  19. roll — a list
  20. cold — an illness
  21. present — a gift
  22. charge — a price
  23. bark — to shout
  24. charge — in control

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