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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 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. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  4. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  7. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  8. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  9. When was this ________________ built?
  10. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  11. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  14. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. There's no middle ________________.
  17. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  18. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  24. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. ground — crushed
  3. current — electric
  4. branch — a division
  5. game — a match
  6. squash — the vegetable
  7. current — happening now
  8. squash — to crush
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. current — of water
  11. temple — side of the head
  12. ground — the earth
  13. squash — the sport
  14. branch — of a bank
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. ground — a position
  17. rule — to rule out
  18. rule — government
  19. game — wild animals
  20. rule — a law
  21. field — farmland
  22. field — for sport
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. branch — of a tree

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