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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. When was this ________________ built?
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  5. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  6. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  7. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  13. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  16. The tickets are free of ________________.
  17. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  18. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  19. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  20. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  21. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  22. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  23. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  24. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. game — wild animals
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. firm — decided
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. bark — of a tree
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. spring — the season
  9. spring — a coil
  10. game — a match
  11. spring — of water
  12. firm — steady
  13. cap — of ice
  14. bark — to shout
  15. cap — a hat
  16. charge — a price
  17. charge — in control
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. charge — electricity
  20. bark — a dog's sound
  21. cap — a lid
  22. hide — animal skin
  23. firm — a company
  24. temple — side of the head

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