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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 120 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. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  2. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  4. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  5. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  8. When was this ________________ built?
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  11. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  12. Have you met the new head ________________?
  13. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  14. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  15. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  16. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  17. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  20. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  21. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  22. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  23. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  24. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!

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

Answer key

  1. temple — side of the head
  2. court — of law
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. bark — to shout
  5. bass — low music
  6. court — of a king
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. court — for sport
  10. coach — pulled by horses
  11. cell — in biology
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. bark — a dog's sound
  14. bass — the instrument
  15. cap — of ice
  16. bass — the fish
  17. cap — a lid
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. bark — of a tree
  20. chest — a box
  21. chest — of your body
  22. cap — a hat
  23. chest — of your body
  24. cell — a phone

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