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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 120 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. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  2. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  3. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. When was this ________________ built?
  6. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  7. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  8. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  9. She's very handy with a ________________.
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  16. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  17. Where did you ________________ them?
  18. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  19. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  20. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  24. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — side of the head
  2. staff — employees
  3. staff — employees
  4. court — of law
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. deal — to handle
  7. deal — a big deal
  8. bark — to shout
  9. saw — the tool
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. wind — moving air
  12. saw — the tool
  13. mug — a face
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. wind — to turn a key
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. mug — to rob
  18. deal — an agreement
  19. mug — a cup
  20. bark — of a tree
  21. court — for sport
  22. court — of a king
  23. staff — a stick
  24. wind — moving air

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