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

Word bank: kick · mouse · cold · bark · temple · squash · board · pass

  1. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  2. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  3. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  4. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  5. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  6. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  7. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  8. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  9. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  10. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  11. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  12. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  13. When was this ________________ built?
  14. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  15. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  16. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  17. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  18. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  19. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  20. The water is too ________________.
  21. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  22. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  23. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  24. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to spend time
  2. pass — a permit
  3. squash — the vegetable
  4. bark — of a tree
  5. pass — to succeed
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. bark — a dog's sound
  8. squash — the sport
  9. kick — with a leg
  10. kick — a thrill
  11. temple — side of the head
  12. mouse — for a computer
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. board — a committee
  15. board — to get on
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. cold — an illness
  19. squash — to crush
  20. cold — not warm
  21. board — a flat piece
  22. kick — in football
  23. cold — the Cold War
  24. bark — to shout

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