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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

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

  1. When was this ________________ built?
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  5. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  8. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  9. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  10. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  11. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  12. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  13. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. field — farmland
  3. wound — an injury
  4. object — a thing
  5. board — a flat piece
  6. field — for sport
  7. board — a committee
  8. chest — of your body
  9. board — to get on
  10. chest — a box
  11. object — to protest
  12. chest — of your body
  13. temple — side of the head
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. object — an aim
  16. field — a subject
  17. wound — an injury
  18. temple — a place of worship

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