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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. David sat on the ________________.
  2. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  3. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  4. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  5. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  6. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  7. I can't ________________ this cold.
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  13. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  14. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  17. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  18. Have you settled on a ________________?
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  21. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. When was this ________________ built?
  24. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. swing — to play on
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. temple — side of the head
  4. stand — on your feet
  5. toast — a drink to someone
  6. date — the fruit
  7. stand — to bear
  8. rash — hasty
  9. toast — the most admired
  10. ground — the earth
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. swing — in golf
  13. bark — of a tree
  14. toast — bread
  15. rash — a series
  16. ground — crushed
  17. stand — for spectators
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. ground — a position
  20. swing — music
  21. bark — a dog's sound
  22. bark — to shout
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. date — on the calendar

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