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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. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  2. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  5. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  6. That was ________________ to happen.
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  18. When was this ________________ built?

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the sport
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. field — for sport
  4. temple — side of the head
  5. squash — to crush
  6. bound — certain
  7. bound — obliged
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. tube — in a tire
  10. field — farmland
  11. field — a subject
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. bound — tied together
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. tube — a container
  16. tube — the underground
  17. squash — the vegetable
  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