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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. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  6. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  7. When was this ________________ built?
  8. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  11. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  12. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  13. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  16. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  19. What do you think of the new ________________?
  20. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  21. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to snap out of it
  2. field — a subject
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. toast — the most admired
  6. snap — to speak sharply
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. drill — a practice
  9. field — for sport
  10. toast — a drink to someone
  11. chair — a professorship
  12. drill — the tool
  13. chair — a leader
  14. drill — army training
  15. cabinet — a cupboard
  16. snap — to click
  17. field — farmland
  18. chair — to sit on
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. toast — bread
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. temple — side of the head
  24. mine — for digging

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