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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. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  4. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  5. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  6. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  7. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  8. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  9. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  10. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  11. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  12. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  15. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  16. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  17. When was this ________________ built?
  18. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  19. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  20. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  24. We have nothing to ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. field — for sport
  3. scale — in music
  4. hide — animal skin
  5. ruler — a monarch
  6. temple — side of the head
  7. face — to confront
  8. snap — to snap out of it
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. rule — to rule out
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. snap — to click
  13. face — to point toward
  14. scale — for weighing
  15. rule — government
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. face — part of the head
  19. snap — to speak sharply
  20. rule — a law
  21. field — farmland
  22. field — a subject
  23. scale — size or range
  24. hide — to keep secret

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