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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. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  3. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  4. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  5. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  6. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  7. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  8. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  9. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  10. Have you met the new head ________________?
  11. Where did you ________________ them?
  12. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  13. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  14. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  15. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  16. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  17. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  18. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  19. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  20. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  21. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  22. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  23. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  24. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. lean — thin
  3. mug — a face
  4. bark — a dog's sound
  5. board — a flat piece
  6. chest — of your body
  7. lean — to bend
  8. chest — of your body
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. mug — to rob
  12. temple — side of the head
  13. present — a gift
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. bark — to shout
  16. mug — a cup
  17. board — to get on
  18. bark — of a tree
  19. lean — to rest against
  20. board — a committee
  21. present — there
  22. present — the time now
  23. coach — pulled by horses
  24. chest — a box

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