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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. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  2. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  4. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  5. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  8. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  11. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. He was locked up in a ________________.
  14. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  15. When was this ________________ built?
  16. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  17. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  18. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  19. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. Have you met the new head ________________?
  22. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  23. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  24. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — to shout
  2. rash — hasty
  3. cell — a phone
  4. coach — pulled by horses
  5. court — of a king
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. cell — in biology
  8. wave — of the sea
  9. rash — a series
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. temple — side of the head
  12. court — for sport
  13. cell — in a prison
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. wave — with your hand
  17. bowl — a dish
  18. bowl — to roll
  19. wave — a sudden rise
  20. court — of law
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. bark — a dog's sound
  23. bark — of a tree
  24. bowl — a football final

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