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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. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  2. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  5. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  6. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  7. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  8. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  9. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  14. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  15. That must've been a ________________.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  19. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  20. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  21. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  22. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  23. When was this ________________ built?
  24. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — side of the head
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. game — wild animals
  4. chip — for betting
  5. hide — animal skin
  6. scale — size or range
  7. rush — to hurry
  8. race — a contest
  9. rush — hurry
  10. field — a subject
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. scale — in music
  13. race — the arms race
  14. chip — in a computer
  15. rush — a thrill
  16. field — farmland
  17. game — a match
  18. scale — for weighing
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. race — humankind
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. chip — to eat
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. field — for sport

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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