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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. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  2. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  3. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  8. When was this ________________ built?
  9. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  10. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  11. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  12. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  13. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  14. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  15. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  19. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  20. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  23. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  24. We had a fire ________________ at school today.

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 — to shout
  3. drill — the tool
  4. game — a match
  5. root — the cause
  6. game — wild animals
  7. pitch — completely
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. present — the time now
  10. root — of a word
  11. bark — of a tree
  12. pitch — a sports field
  13. present — there
  14. pitch — a sales talk
  15. temple — side of the head
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. branch — a division
  19. present — a gift
  20. drill — army training
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. bark — a dog's sound
  23. root — of a plant
  24. drill — a practice

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