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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: fork · pass · pit · plane · chest · lie · bark · bear

  1. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  2. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  3. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  4. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  5. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  6. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  7. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  8. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  9. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  10. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  11. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  12. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  13. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  14. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  15. The ________________ took off on time.
  16. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  17. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  18. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  19. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  20. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  21. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  22. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  23. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  24. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. bear — the animal
  3. pass — to spend time
  4. pit — in a race
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. plane — in geometry
  7. chest — of your body
  8. pass — a permit
  9. pit — a hole
  10. lie — to recline
  11. bark — to shout
  12. bark — a dog's sound
  13. fork — to eat with
  14. pass — to succeed
  15. plane — an aircraft
  16. fork — a garden tool
  17. bear — the animal
  18. chest — a box
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. fork — in a road
  21. pit — a fruit stone
  22. plane — a tool
  23. bark — of a tree
  24. bear — to put up with

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