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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. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  2. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  4. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  5. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  9. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  10. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  11. When was this ________________ built?
  12. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  13. Have you met the new head ________________?
  14. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  19. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  20. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  21. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  22. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  23. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — side of the head
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. chair — a professorship
  4. bark — a dog's sound
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. bat — the animal
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. deal — a big deal
  9. deal — to handle
  10. bark — of a tree
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. chair — to sit on
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. ground — crushed
  15. ground — a position
  16. bass — the fish
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. deal — an agreement
  20. bass — the instrument
  21. bark — to shout
  22. chair — a leader
  23. bass — low music
  24. ground — the earth

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