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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. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  2. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  5. When was this ________________ built?
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  8. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  9. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  10. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  13. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  14. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  15. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  16. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  17. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  19. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  20. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  21. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  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. bark — to shout
  2. court — of a king
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. current — electric
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. court — of law
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. bark — a dog's sound
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. current — happening now
  13. band — a ring
  14. current — of water
  15. dip — to sink
  16. dip — a sauce
  17. bark — of a tree
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. dip — to dunk
  20. band — a music group
  21. fan — to cool the air
  22. court — for sport
  23. hide — animal skin
  24. temple — side of the head

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