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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 kitten curled into a ________________.
  2. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  3. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  7. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  8. When was this ________________ built?
  9. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  10. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  13. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  21. The King held a masked ________________.
  22. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  23. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  24. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a round shape
  2. bark — a dog's sound
  3. object — a thing
  4. march — music
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. bark — of a tree
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. object — an aim
  10. bark — to shout
  11. game — wild animals
  12. shower — a meteor shower
  13. trunk — of a car
  14. march — the month
  15. shower — to wash
  16. trunk — of a tree
  17. march — the month
  18. game — a match
  19. shower — rain
  20. trunk — of an elephant
  21. ball — a dance
  22. temple — side of the head
  23. object — to protest
  24. ball — a great time

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