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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. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  2. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  5. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  6. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  9. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  10. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  11. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  15. When was this ________________ built?
  16. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  17. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  18. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  19. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  20. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. court — of a king
  3. field — a subject
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. track — a song
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. shower — rain
  8. temple — side of the head
  9. shower — to wash
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. hide — animal skin
  12. court — of law
  13. field — for sport
  14. bore — to drill
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. lie — to recline
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. shower — a meteor shower
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. bore — gave birth
  21. court — for sport
  22. field — farmland
  23. bore — to tire
  24. track — to keep track

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