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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. When was this ________________ built?
  2. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  3. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  6. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  7. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  12. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  13. This piece is in a major ________________.
  14. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  15. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  18. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  21. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  22. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  23. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  24. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. bark — a dog's sound
  3. rule — government
  4. hand — in cards
  5. racket — a loud noise
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. rule — to rule out
  8. band — a ring
  9. key — for a lock
  10. hand — help
  11. chip — for betting
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. key — in music
  14. temple — side of the head
  15. chip — in a computer
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. bark — to shout
  18. chip — to eat
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. rule — a law
  21. key — the most important part
  22. band — a music group
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. bark — of a tree

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