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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. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  2. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  3. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  4. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  5. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  6. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  9. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  10. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  11. When was this ________________ built?
  12. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  13. There's no middle ________________.
  14. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  15. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  20. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  21. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  22. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  23. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  24. The water is too ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — of a tree
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. bark — to shout
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. staff — employees
  6. ground — crushed
  7. net — for catching
  8. jam — in traffic
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. cold — an illness
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. jam — to spread on bread
  13. ground — a position
  14. staff — employees
  15. ground — the earth
  16. net — after costs
  17. temple — side of the head
  18. net — in sport
  19. staff — a stick
  20. cold — the Cold War
  21. bark — a dog's sound
  22. jam — a tight spot
  23. lie — to recline
  24. cold — not warm

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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