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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. When was this ________________ built?
  2. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  3. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  4. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  5. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  6. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  7. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  11. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  14. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  18. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  21. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  24. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. face — part of the head
  3. temple — side of the head
  4. bark — of a tree
  5. bark — a dog's sound
  6. bark — to shout
  7. pitch — a sports field
  8. spell — letters
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. bore — to tire
  11. wind — to turn a key
  12. wind — moving air
  13. bore — gave birth
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. rash — a series
  16. spell — magic
  17. wind — moving air
  18. face — to point toward
  19. rash — hasty
  20. face — to confront
  21. pitch — a sales talk
  22. spell — a short time
  23. pitch — completely
  24. bore — to drill

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