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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: pit · pitcher · bark · coach · face · bay · jam · root

  1. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  2. He is an ace ________________.
  3. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  4. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  9. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  10. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  11. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  12. Have you met the new head ________________?
  13. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  14. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  15. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  16. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  17. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  18. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  19. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  20. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  21. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  22. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  23. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  24. My mare is ________________ in color.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. face — to point toward
  4. pit — a fruit stone
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. bark — to shout
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. pit — a hole
  9. root — of a plant
  10. root — the cause
  11. jam — to spread on bread
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. coach — pulled by horses
  14. bay — to keep at bay
  15. pit — in a race
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. bark — of a tree
  18. bark — a dog's sound
  19. jam — a tight spot
  20. bay — a part of the sea
  21. jam — in traffic
  22. root — of a word
  23. face — part of the head
  24. bay — a horse colour

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