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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. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  2. When was this ________________ built?
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  12. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  13. There's no middle ________________.
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  17. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  24. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — size or range
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. ground — crushed
  5. field — a subject
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. temple — side of the head
  8. last — final
  9. field — for sport
  10. rash — a series
  11. deal — an agreement
  12. scale — for weighing
  13. ground — a position
  14. field — farmland
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. deal — to handle
  17. scale — in music
  18. ground — the earth
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. rash — hasty
  21. last — to go on
  22. last — finally
  23. deal — a big deal
  24. temple — a place of worship

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