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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. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  2. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  3. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  4. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  5. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  6. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  7. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  8. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  12. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  13. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  14. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. When was this ________________ built?
  18. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  19. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  20. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  21. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  22. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  23. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  24. The elephant has a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. bark — to shout
  3. rock — music
  4. lean — to rest against
  5. trunk — of a tree
  6. rock — a stone
  7. bark — of a tree
  8. chair — a leader
  9. last — finally
  10. last — to go on
  11. lean — to bend
  12. pitch — a sales talk
  13. lean — thin
  14. pitch — a sports field
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. last — final
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. temple — side of the head
  19. pitch — completely
  20. rock — to move gently
  21. bark — a dog's sound
  22. chair — to sit on
  23. chair — a professorship
  24. trunk — of an elephant

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