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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. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  2. When was this ________________ built?
  3. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  7. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  8. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  12. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  15. When will it ________________ you to start?
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  19. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  20. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  21. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  22. Where did you ________________ them?
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  24. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a face
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. pound — for dogs
  4. march — music
  5. field — a subject
  6. mug — a cup
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. pound — a weight
  9. field — for sport
  10. field — farmland
  11. suit — in cards
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. march — the month
  14. suit — clothes
  15. suit — to fit
  16. last — finally
  17. last — to go on
  18. pound — to hit hard
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. temple — side of the head
  21. last — final
  22. mug — to rob
  23. march — the month
  24. racket — a loud noise

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