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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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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. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  2. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  3. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  4. The King held a masked ________________.
  5. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  6. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  9. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  10. When was this ________________ built?
  11. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  12. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  13. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  16. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  17. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  18. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  19. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  20. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  21. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  24. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — in football
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. dip — to dunk
  4. ball — a dance
  5. foot — the bottom
  6. ball — a round shape
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. foot — part of the body
  9. kick — a thrill
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. temple — side of the head
  12. bowl — a dish
  13. kick — with a leg
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. foot — a measure
  16. bowl — a football final
  17. content — happy
  18. bark — of a tree
  19. dip — to sink
  20. ball — a great time
  21. bowl — to roll
  22. bark — to shout
  23. content — the amount
  24. dip — a sauce

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