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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. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  2. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  3. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  4. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  5. When was this ________________ built?
  6. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  7. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  8. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  9. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  10. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  11. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  12. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  13. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  14. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  15. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  16. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  19. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  20. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  21. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  22. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  23. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  24. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — in football
  2. toast — bread
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. bark — to shout
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. bark — of a tree
  7. temple — side of the head
  8. kick — a thrill
  9. vault — a safe
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. cold — the Cold War
  12. toast — the most admired
  13. stem — to come from
  14. kick — with a leg
  15. stem — a stem cell
  16. vault — an arched ceiling
  17. cold — not warm
  18. cold — an illness
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. toast — a drink to someone
  21. racket — a loud noise
  22. bark — a dog's sound
  23. vault — in gymnastics
  24. stem — of a plant

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