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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: face · fan · bark · coach · pit · season · temple · key

  1. When was this ________________ built?
  2. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  9. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  10. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  11. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  12. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  13. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  14. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  15. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  16. Have you met the new head ________________?
  17. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  18. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  19. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  20. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  21. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  22. This piece is in a major ________________.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. key — the most important part
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. face — to confront
  10. bark — of a tree
  11. pit — in a race
  12. temple — side of the head
  13. bark — a dog's sound
  14. pit — a fruit stone
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. face — part of the head
  18. key — for a lock
  19. face — to point toward
  20. bark — to shout
  21. pit — a hole
  22. key — in music
  23. season — in sport
  24. season — of the year

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