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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. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. What do you think of the new ________________?
  8. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  9. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  10. When was this ________________ built?
  11. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  12. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  13. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  21. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — side of the head
  2. cabinet — a cupboard
  3. field — for sport
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. last — to go on
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. fine — high quality
  9. fine — a penalty
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. kid — child
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. field — farmland
  15. last — finally
  16. kid — to tease
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. pound — a weight
  19. sharp — clever
  20. pound — to hit hard
  21. fine — all right
  22. field — a subject
  23. last — final
  24. pound — for dogs

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