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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. When was this ________________ built?
  2. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  4. We're almost out of ________________.
  5. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  6. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  7. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  8. He was locked up in a ________________.
  9. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  12. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  15. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  16. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  17. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  18. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  19. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  20. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  21. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  22. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  23. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  24. You don't need to ________________ round.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. pop — soda
  5. bark — a dog's sound
  6. pop — music
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. cell — in a prison
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. wake — a trail
  11. bowl — a dish
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. bark — to shout
  14. bark — of a tree
  15. wake — to stop sleeping
  16. cell — in biology
  17. stick — to attach or keep to
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. perch — the fish
  20. cell — a phone
  21. bowl — a football final
  22. temple — side of the head
  23. bowl — to roll
  24. pop — to visit

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