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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. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  2. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  3. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  7. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  10. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  13. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  14. When was this ________________ built?
  15. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  16. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  17. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  18. That was ________________ to happen.
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  23. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  24. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?

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

Answer key

  1. bark — of a tree
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. temple — side of the head
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. court — for sport
  6. vault — in gymnastics
  7. scale — size or range
  8. bound — tied together
  9. vault — a safe
  10. scale — for weighing
  11. court — of a king
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. vault — an arched ceiling
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. fan — to cool the air
  16. bark — a dog's sound
  17. bark — to shout
  18. bound — certain
  19. bound — obliged
  20. scale — in music
  21. court — of law
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. hide — animal skin
  24. hide — to keep secret

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