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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. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  2. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  4. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  5. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  8. This piece is in a major ________________.
  9. When was this ________________ built?
  10. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  11. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  12. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  13. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  16. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  21. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  22. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  23. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  24. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — a dog's sound
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. bark — to shout
  4. shower — rain
  5. lie — to recline
  6. sharp — clever
  7. shower — a meteor shower
  8. key — in music
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. shower — to wash
  11. ground — crushed
  12. root — the cause
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. ground — the earth
  15. bark — of a tree
  16. key — the most important part
  17. ground — a position
  18. root — of a word
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. root — of a plant
  23. key — for a lock
  24. temple — side of the head

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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