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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: toast · temple · cell · coach · bark · spell · kick · pit

  1. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  2. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  4. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  5. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  6. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  7. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  8. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  9. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  10. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  11. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  14. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  15. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  18. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  19. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  20. When was this ________________ built?
  21. Have you met the new head ________________?
  22. He was locked up in a ________________.
  23. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  24. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?

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

Answer key

  1. kick — a thrill
  2. spell — magic
  3. toast — bread
  4. kick — with a leg
  5. spell — a short time
  6. toast — a drink to someone
  7. cell — a phone
  8. bark — to shout
  9. pit — a fruit stone
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. pit — a hole
  12. spell — letters
  13. kick — in football
  14. temple — side of the head
  15. cell — in biology
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. toast — the most admired
  18. pit — in a race
  19. bark — a dog's sound
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. cell — in a prison
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. coach — pulled by horses

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