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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. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  3. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  4. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  5. When was this ________________ built?
  6. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  7. That was ________________ to happen.
  8. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  9. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  10. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  11. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  12. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  13. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. Have you met the new head ________________?
  16. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  17. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  20. The ________________ went through the wall.
  21. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  22. He was locked up in a ________________.
  23. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  24. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. cell — in biology
  3. bark — a dog's sound
  4. temple — side of the head
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. bark — of a tree
  7. bound — certain
  8. firm — decided
  9. snap — to speak sharply
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. coach — pulled by horses
  12. firm — a company
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. bound — tied together
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. snap — to snap out of it
  17. nail — on a finger
  18. bound — obliged
  19. firm — steady
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. bark — to shout
  22. cell — in a prison
  23. snap — to click
  24. cell — a phone

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