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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: net · bark · face · jam · pass · pitcher · cold · hide

  1. He is an ace ________________.
  2. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  3. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  4. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  7. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  8. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  9. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  13. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  18. The water is too ________________.
  19. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  20. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  21. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  22. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  23. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. bark — a dog's sound
  3. cold — the Cold War
  4. face — part of the head
  5. face — to confront
  6. pass — a permit
  7. cold — an illness
  8. bark — of a tree
  9. jam — in traffic
  10. net — after costs
  11. net — in sport
  12. bark — to shout
  13. hide — animal skin
  14. net — for catching
  15. pass — to succeed
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. pass — to spend time
  18. cold — not warm
  19. jam — a tight spot
  20. face — to point toward
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. jam — to spread on bread
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. pitcher — a jug

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