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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. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  4. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  5. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  10. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  11. When was this ________________ built?
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  17. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  18. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  19. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  20. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  23. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  24. That was ________________ to happen.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. mark — to pay attention
  3. pit — a fruit stone
  4. mark — a trace
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. bound — obliged
  8. bound — tied together
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. mark — a grade
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. field — farmland
  13. pit — in a race
  14. rash — hasty
  15. rash — a series
  16. ruler — a monarch
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. pit — a hole
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. temple — side of the head
  21. field — for sport
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. hide — animal skin
  24. bound — certain

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