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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. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  4. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  5. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  9. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  10. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  11. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  12. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  13. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  18. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  19. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  20. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  21. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  22. When was this ________________ built?
  23. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  24. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. rest — a break
  4. leaves — of a tree
  5. lean — to bend
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. leaves — lets stay
  9. rest — what's left
  10. temple — side of the head
  11. bark — a dog's sound
  12. foot — the bottom
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. net — for catching
  15. bark — to shout
  16. net — after costs
  17. foot — a measure
  18. foot — part of the body
  19. lean — thin
  20. lean — to rest against
  21. rest — what's left
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. leaves — to go away
  24. bark — of a tree

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