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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. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  2. When was this ________________ built?
  3. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  4. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  5. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  8. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  11. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  12. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  13. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  19. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — to sit on
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. chest — of your body
  4. chest — a box
  5. bark — of a tree
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. snap — to click
  8. chest — of your body
  9. net — after costs
  10. track — to keep track
  11. bark — a dog's sound
  12. temple — side of the head
  13. snap — to speak sharply
  14. net — in sport
  15. chair — a leader
  16. track — a song
  17. net — for catching
  18. chair — a professorship
  19. track — a path
  20. season — of the year
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. bark — to shout
  23. snap — to snap out of it
  24. season — in sport

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