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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. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  2. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  3. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  4. We're almost out of ________________.
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  7. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  10. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  13. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  14. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  15. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  16. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  17. When was this ________________ built?
  18. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  19. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  20. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  21. Where did you ________________ them?
  22. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  23. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  24. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. bark — a dog's sound
  3. pit — a fruit stone
  4. pop — soda
  5. pop — to visit
  6. rest — what's left
  7. bark — to shout
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. cap — a lid
  10. cap — a hat
  11. bat — the animal
  12. rest — what's left
  13. bark — of a tree
  14. cap — of ice
  15. mug — a cup
  16. pit — a hole
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. pit — in a race
  19. bat — for baseball
  20. rest — a break
  21. mug — to rob
  22. pop — music
  23. temple — side of the head
  24. mug — a face

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