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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: bark · rock · coach · rest · season · mug · temple · chip

  1. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  2. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  4. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  5. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  6. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  7. Where did you ________________ them?
  8. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  9. Have you met the new head ________________?
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  12. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  13. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  14. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  15. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  16. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  19. When was this ________________ built?
  20. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  23. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  24. We were using a ________________ as a seat.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. bark — of a tree
  3. chip — to eat
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. mug — a face
  6. mug — a cup
  7. mug — to rob
  8. rest — what's left
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. season — in sport
  11. rock — to move gently
  12. bark — to shout
  13. coach — pulled by horses
  14. rest — what's left
  15. chip — for betting
  16. temple — side of the head
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. rock — music
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. bark — a dog's sound
  21. season — of the year
  22. rest — a break
  23. chip — in a computer
  24. rock — a stone

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