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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. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  2. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  3. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  4. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  5. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  6. When was this ________________ built?
  7. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  8. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  9. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  10. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  11. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  18. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  19. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  20. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  21. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  22. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  23. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  24. The water is too ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — a stone
  2. squash — to crush
  3. leaves — to go away
  4. rock — music
  5. squash — the sport
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. squash — the vegetable
  8. rock — to move gently
  9. foot — part of the body
  10. temple — side of the head
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. court — of a king
  13. foot — a measure
  14. court — of law
  15. cold — an illness
  16. court — for sport
  17. cold — the Cold War
  18. foot — the bottom
  19. bark — a dog's sound
  20. bark — of a tree
  21. bark — to shout
  22. leaves — lets stay
  23. leaves — of a tree
  24. cold — not warm

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