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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. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  2. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  3. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  5. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  6. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. What do you think of the new ________________?
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. There's no middle ________________.
  11. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  15. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  16. When was this ________________ built?
  17. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  18. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  21. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  22. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — of a tree
  2. dip — a sauce
  3. ground — the earth
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. scale — size or range
  6. dip — to dunk
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. last — final
  10. ground — a position
  11. bark — to shout
  12. scale — in music
  13. last — finally
  14. ground — crushed
  15. temple — side of the head
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. bark — a dog's sound
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. season — in sport
  20. cabinet — a cupboard
  21. dip — to sink
  22. scale — for weighing
  23. season — of the year
  24. last — to go on

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