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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. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  3. The tickets are free of ________________.
  4. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  5. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  6. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  7. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  8. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  9. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  10. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  11. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  14. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  15. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  18. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  19. When was this ________________ built?
  20. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  23. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  24. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — side of the head
  2. staff — employees
  3. charge — a price
  4. staff — a stick
  5. jam — in traffic
  6. charge — in control
  7. fall — to drop
  8. fall — to drop
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. bark — a dog's sound
  11. jam — a tight spot
  12. season — in sport
  13. staff — employees
  14. root — of a word
  15. charge — electricity
  16. season — of the year
  17. fall — the season
  18. jam — to spread on bread
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. root — the cause
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. bark — of a tree
  23. root — of a plant
  24. bark — to shout

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