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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. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  5. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  6. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  10. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  11. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  12. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  13. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  14. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  17. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  18. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  19. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  20. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  21. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  22. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  23. She's very handy with a ________________.
  24. When was this ________________ built?

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. land — a country
  3. land — ground
  4. temple — side of the head
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. land — to come down
  9. firm — a company
  10. hide — animal skin
  11. staff — a stick
  12. bark — to shout
  13. staff — employees
  14. content — videos and posts
  15. saw — the tool
  16. firm — decided
  17. firm — steady
  18. bark — a dog's sound
  19. content — the amount
  20. content — happy
  21. staff — employees
  22. bark — of a tree
  23. saw — the tool
  24. temple — a place of worship

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