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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. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  4. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  5. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  8. When will it ________________ you to start?
  9. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  10. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. The King held a masked ________________.
  13. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. When was this ________________ built?
  16. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  17. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  18. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  19. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  20. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  24. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. field — a subject
  3. bark — of a tree
  4. deal — a big deal
  5. ball — a round shape
  6. game — wild animals
  7. suit — in cards
  8. suit — to fit
  9. deal — an agreement
  10. suit — clothes
  11. field — farmland
  12. ball — a dance
  13. bark — a dog's sound
  14. game — a match
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. bark — to shout
  17. lash — an eyelash
  18. lash — to lash out
  19. ball — a great time
  20. lash — a whip stroke
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. field — for sport
  23. temple — side of the head
  24. deal — to handle

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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