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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: temple · scale · club · mark · bark · cue · fan · sharp

  1. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  2. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  4. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  5. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  6. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  7. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  11. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  12. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  13. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  14. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  15. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  16. When was this ________________ built?
  17. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  18. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  19. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  20. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. sharp — clever
  3. bark — of a tree
  4. club — for golf
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. bark — to shout
  7. scale — size or range
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. bark — a dog's sound
  11. scale — for weighing
  12. cue — a hint
  13. club — for dancing
  14. mark — a grade
  15. cue — a signal
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. cue — for pool
  18. scale — in music
  19. temple — side of the head
  20. club — a group
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. mark — to pay attention
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. mark — a trace

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