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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. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  5. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  6. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  7. We're on a ________________ here.
  8. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  9. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  10. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  11. When was this ________________ built?
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  14. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  15. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  16. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  19. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  20. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  21. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. roll — a cake
  3. field — a subject
  4. current — electric
  5. rest — what's left
  6. current — happening now
  7. roll — on a roll
  8. current — of water
  9. dip — a sauce
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. game — wild animals
  13. rest — what's left
  14. stem — a stem cell
  15. stem — to come from
  16. temple — side of the head
  17. field — farmland
  18. roll — a list
  19. stem — of a plant
  20. dip — to dunk
  21. rest — a break
  22. game — a match
  23. dip — to sink
  24. game — a kind of play

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