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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. When was this ________________ built?
  2. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  7. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  8. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. Have you met the new head ________________?
  11. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  14. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  15. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  18. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  19. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  20. The ________________ took off on time.
  21. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  24. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. dip — to dunk
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. last — to go on
  6. mark — a grade
  7. plane — a tool
  8. temple — side of the head
  9. last — final
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. dip — to sink
  14. mark — a trace
  15. mark — to pay attention
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. bark — of a tree
  18. bark — to shout
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. plane — an aircraft
  21. dip — a sauce
  22. last — finally
  23. bark — a dog's sound
  24. plane — in geometry

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