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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. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  3. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  6. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  7. He was locked up in a ________________.
  8. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  11. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  14. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  18. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  19. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  20. When was this ________________ built?
  21. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  22. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. It's one o'clock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — side of the head
  2. object — to protest
  3. leaves — to go away
  4. spell — a short time
  5. leaves — of a tree
  6. object — a thing
  7. cell — in a prison
  8. bat — the animal
  9. sharp — clever
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. bark — a dog's sound
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. object — an aim
  14. cell — in biology
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. spell — magic
  17. bark — to shout
  18. bark — of a tree
  19. bat — for baseball
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. cell — a phone
  22. leaves — lets stay
  23. spell — letters
  24. sharp — exactly

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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