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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. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  2. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  4. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  5. When was this ________________ built?
  6. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  7. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  8. The water is too ________________.
  9. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  10. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  11. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  12. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  15. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  18. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  19. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  20. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  21. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  22. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  23. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  24. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a grade
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. bark — a dog's sound
  4. scale — in music
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. bark — to shout
  7. cold — the Cold War
  8. cold — not warm
  9. mark — a trace
  10. mark — to pay attention
  11. scale — for weighing
  12. temple — side of the head
  13. tube — the underground
  14. fall — to drop
  15. jam — to spread on bread
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. jam — in traffic
  18. fall — to drop
  19. tube — a container
  20. cold — an illness
  21. jam — a tight spot
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. scale — size or range
  24. fall — the season

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