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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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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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. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  2. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  5. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  8. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  11. That must've been a ________________.
  12. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  13. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  14. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  15. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  16. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  17. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  18. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  19. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  20. When was this ________________ built?
  21. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  24. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. present — the time now
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. temple — side of the head
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. field — a subject
  7. chair — to sit on
  8. bowl — a football final
  9. field — for sport
  10. capital — a big letter
  11. rush — a thrill
  12. trunk — of a tree
  13. trunk — of an elephant
  14. rush — hurry
  15. rush — to hurry
  16. present — a gift
  17. chair — a professorship
  18. present — there
  19. capital — a city
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. bowl — to roll
  22. field — farmland
  23. chair — a leader
  24. capital — money

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