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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.

Make a worksheet

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. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  5. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  6. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  7. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  10. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  11. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  14. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  15. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  18. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  19. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  20. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  23. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  24. When was this ________________ built?

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. mine — belonging to me
  4. row — a line
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. temple — side of the head
  8. field — farmland
  9. mark — a grade
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. lie — to recline
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. mouse — for a computer
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. row — to paddle
  16. mine — for digging
  17. scale — for weighing
  18. mark — a trace
  19. row — a quarrel
  20. scale — size or range
  21. field — for sport
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. scale — in music
  24. temple — a place of worship

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