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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. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  2. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  3. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  4. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  5. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  6. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  7. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  8. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  9. When was this ________________ built?
  10. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  11. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  12. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  13. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  14. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  15. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  16. Where did you ________________ them?
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  19. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  20. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. Have you found your soul ________________?
  23. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a face
  2. kick — a thrill
  3. scale — for weighing
  4. scale — in music
  5. bark — of a tree
  6. temple — side of the head
  7. pass — to spend time
  8. kick — with a leg
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. bark — to shout
  11. scale — size or range
  12. mate — a friend
  13. pass — a permit
  14. mate — to breed
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. mug — to rob
  17. spring — the season
  18. pass — to succeed
  19. mug — a cup
  20. kick — in football
  21. spring — of water
  22. mate — a partner
  23. bark — a dog's sound
  24. spring — a coil

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