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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. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  3. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  4. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  5. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  6. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  7. When will it ________________ you to start?
  8. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  9. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  10. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  11. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  12. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  13. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  14. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  15. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  16. When was this ________________ built?
  17. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  18. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  19. The water is too ________________.
  20. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  21. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  24. Boris sat near the fire ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. suit — clothes
  3. bark — of a tree
  4. cold — the Cold War
  5. racket — a loud noise
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. suit — to fit
  8. pit — in a race
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. foot — a measure
  12. suit — in cards
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. temple — side of the head
  15. bark — a dog's sound
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. pit — a fruit stone
  18. cold — an illness
  19. cold — not warm
  20. foot — the bottom
  21. fan — to cool the air
  22. bark — to shout
  23. foot — part of the body
  24. pit — a hole

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