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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: cold · face · arm · bark · ruler · ball · toast · date

  1. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  2. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  3. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  4. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  5. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  6. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  7. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  8. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  9. Have you settled on a ________________?
  10. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  11. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  12. My father caught me by the ________________.
  13. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  14. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  17. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  18. The water is too ________________.
  19. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  20. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  21. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  22. The King held a masked ________________.
  23. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  24. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.

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

Answer key

  1. face — part of the head
  2. ball — a round shape
  3. ball — a great time
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. bark — a dog's sound
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. ruler — a monarch
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. toast — a drink to someone
  11. bark — of a tree
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. date — the fruit
  14. cold — the Cold War
  15. face — to point toward
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. bark — to shout
  18. cold — not warm
  19. arm — a part of something
  20. face — to confront
  21. toast — the most admired
  22. ball — a dance
  23. toast — bread
  24. cold — an illness

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