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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. Have you met the new head ________________?
  2. When was this ________________ built?
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  5. We're almost out of ________________.
  6. You don't need to ________________ round.
  7. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  8. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  9. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  10. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  11. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  12. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  13. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  14. My father caught me by the ________________.
  15. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  16. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  17. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  22. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  23. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  24. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. net — for catching
  4. coach — pulled by horses
  5. pop — soda
  6. pop — to visit
  7. leaves — lets stay
  8. bark — of a tree
  9. leaves — of a tree
  10. arm — a part of something
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. temple — side of the head
  13. bark — a dog's sound
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. content — videos and posts
  16. pop — music
  17. bark — to shout
  18. net — after costs
  19. content — happy
  20. net — in sport
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. content — the amount
  23. leaves — to go away
  24. arm — part of the body

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