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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. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  5. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  6. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  7. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  8. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  9. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  10. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  11. He was locked up in a ________________.
  12. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  13. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. When was this ________________ built?
  16. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  17. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  18. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  19. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  20. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  21. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  22. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  23. Where did you ________________ them?
  24. It's one o'clock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. bark — of a tree
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. tear — from crying
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. cell — in biology
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. cell — a phone
  9. staff — employees
  10. bark — a dog's sound
  11. cell — in a prison
  12. mug — a cup
  13. staff — a stick
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. bark — to shout
  17. racket — a loud noise
  18. tear — to rip
  19. temple — side of the head
  20. tear — from crying
  21. mug — a face
  22. staff — employees
  23. mug — to rob
  24. sharp — exactly

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