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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. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  2. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  3. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  4. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  5. When was this ________________ built?
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  11. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  12. When will it ________________ you to start?
  13. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  14. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  15. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. How do you ________________ your surname?
  18. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  19. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  20. Have you settled on a ________________?
  21. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  22. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  23. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  24. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — side of the head
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. suit — in cards
  4. race — humankind
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. spell — a short time
  7. spell — magic
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. mine — for digging
  10. suit — clothes
  11. staff — employees
  12. suit — to fit
  13. bark — a dog's sound
  14. date — the fruit
  15. race — the arms race
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. spell — letters
  18. staff — employees
  19. race — a contest
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. bark — to shout
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. staff — a stick
  24. bark — of a tree

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