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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. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  2. When was this ________________ built?
  3. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  4. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  5. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  6. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  7. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  8. The ________________ took off on time.
  9. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  10. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  11. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  12. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  15. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  16. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  17. David sat on the ________________.
  18. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  19. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  20. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  21. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  22. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  23. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  24. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. bark — a dog's sound
  4. capital — a big letter
  5. foot — the bottom
  6. row — to paddle
  7. plane — a tool
  8. plane — an aircraft
  9. capital — money
  10. plane — in geometry
  11. board — a flat piece
  12. board — to get on
  13. bark — to shout
  14. row — a quarrel
  15. foot — a measure
  16. swing — in golf
  17. swing — to play on
  18. capital — a city
  19. row — a line
  20. board — a committee
  21. bark — of a tree
  22. foot — part of the body
  23. swing — music
  24. temple — side of the head

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