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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. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  4. The tickets are free of ________________.
  5. When was this ________________ built?
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  9. The light ________________ burned out.
  10. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  11. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  12. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  13. I've got to change the light ________________.
  14. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  21. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  24. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. land — ground
  3. bark — to shout
  4. charge — a price
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. land — to come down
  7. land — a country
  8. bark — of a tree
  9. bulb — for light
  10. charge — in control
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. bulb — for light
  14. temple — side of the head
  15. shower — to wash
  16. court — of law
  17. shower — rain
  18. court — of a king
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. patient — calm and waiting
  21. charge — electricity
  22. court — for sport
  23. bulb — of a plant
  24. bark — a dog's sound

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