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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. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  2. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  3. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  4. The water is too ________________.
  5. When was this ________________ built?
  6. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  7. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  8. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  11. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  12. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  13. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  14. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  15. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  16. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  17. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  18. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  19. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  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. rock — to move gently
  2. rock — music
  3. present — the time now
  4. cold — not warm
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. cold — the Cold War
  7. bank — for money
  8. content — the amount
  9. field — farmland
  10. content — happy
  11. leaves — lets stay
  12. present — a gift
  13. temple — side of the head
  14. bank — of a river
  15. present — there
  16. leaves — to go away
  17. leaves — of a tree
  18. rock — a stone
  19. cold — an illness
  20. field — a subject
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. field — for sport
  23. bank — for money
  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