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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 had a strange look on her ________________.
  2. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  3. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  4. There's no middle ________________.
  5. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  6. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  7. Did you ________________ the button?
  8. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  9. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. Have you met the new head ________________?
  12. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  13. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  14. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  15. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  16. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  19. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  20. When was this ________________ built?
  21. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  22. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  23. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  24. He had ________________ pain while walking.

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

Answer key

  1. face — part of the head
  2. mark — a grade
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. ground — a position
  5. bark — a dog's sound
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. press — to push
  8. bark — to shout
  9. bark — of a tree
  10. ground — the earth
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. face — to confront
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. mark — a trace
  16. press — a publisher
  17. press — newspapers
  18. face — to point toward
  19. ground — crushed
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. mark — to pay attention
  23. temple — side of the head
  24. calf — of the leg

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