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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. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  2. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  3. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  4. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  5. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  6. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  7. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  8. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  9. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  10. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  11. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  16. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  17. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  18. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  19. When was this ________________ built?
  20. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  21. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  22. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — side of the head
  2. bark — a dog's sound
  3. bark — to shout
  4. staff — employees
  5. object — an aim
  6. rock — music
  7. staff — employees
  8. file — a tool
  9. object — a thing
  10. bark — of a tree
  11. capital — a city
  12. file — a document
  13. staff — a stick
  14. file — a line of people
  15. rock — a stone
  16. jam — a tight spot
  17. object — to protest
  18. capital — a big letter
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. jam — to spread on bread
  21. rock — to move gently
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. capital — money
  24. jam — in traffic

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