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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 water is too ________________.
  3. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  4. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  5. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  6. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  7. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  8. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  9. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  10. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  11. What do you think of the new ________________?
  12. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  16. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  17. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  20. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  21. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  22. Have you met the new head ________________?
  23. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  24. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. cold — not warm
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. cold — an illness
  6. cue — a hint
  7. leaves — to go away
  8. bark — to shout
  9. bark — of a tree
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. bark — a dog's sound
  13. land — a country
  14. land — ground
  15. coach — pulled by horses
  16. cold — the Cold War
  17. cabinet — a cupboard
  18. land — to come down
  19. temple — side of the head
  20. leaves — of a tree
  21. leaves — lets stay
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. cue — a signal
  24. cue — for pool

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