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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 surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  2. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  3. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  4. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  5. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  8. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  11. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  15. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  16. The water is too ________________.
  17. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  18. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  21. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  22. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  23. The ball is in your ________________.
  24. When was this ________________ built?

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

Answer key

  1. wave — of the sea
  2. cold — an illness
  3. temple — side of the head
  4. face — to point toward
  5. bark — a dog's sound
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. bark — to shout
  8. wave — a sudden rise
  9. court — of a king
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. wave — with your hand
  12. face — part of the head
  13. bass — the fish
  14. face — to confront
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. cold — not warm
  17. bass — low music
  18. racket — a loud noise
  19. court — of law
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. cold — the Cold War
  22. bark — of a tree
  23. court — for sport
  24. temple — a place of worship

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