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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. When was this ________________ built?
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  4. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  8. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  9. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  10. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  11. Where did you ________________ them?
  12. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  15. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  16. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  19. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  20. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  21. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  22. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. last — to go on
  3. bear — the animal
  4. kick — in football
  5. last — final
  6. wound — an injury
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. bear — the animal
  9. bark — of a tree
  10. bear — to put up with
  11. mug — to rob
  12. bark — to shout
  13. wound — an injury
  14. mug — a face
  15. kick — a thrill
  16. present — a gift
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. temple — side of the head
  19. kick — with a leg
  20. mug — a cup
  21. present — the time now
  22. present — there
  23. last — finally
  24. bark — a dog's sound

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