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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. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  2. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  14. When was this ________________ built?
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  21. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  24. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — side of the head
  2. file — a line of people
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. object — to protest
  5. file — a tool
  6. band — a music group
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. file — a document
  9. toast — a drink to someone
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. field — for sport
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. object — a thing
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. field — farmland
  16. band — a rubber band
  17. mine — for digging
  18. season — of the year
  19. field — a subject
  20. toast — the most admired
  21. object — an aim
  22. season — in sport
  23. band — a ring
  24. toast — bread

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