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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. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  3. We're almost out of ________________.
  4. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  5. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  6. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  9. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  10. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  11. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  12. That must've been a ________________.
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  15. You don't need to ________________ round.
  16. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  17. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  22. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  23. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  24. When was this ________________ built?

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. temple — side of the head
  3. pop — soda
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. tear — from crying
  6. rush — to hurry
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. pop — music
  9. tear — from crying
  10. tear — to rip
  11. bark — of a tree
  12. rush — a thrill
  13. court — of a king
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. pop — to visit
  16. bark — to shout
  17. hide — animal skin
  18. court — for sport
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. court — of law
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. bark — a dog's sound
  23. rush — hurry
  24. temple — a place of worship

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