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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 smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  4. I can't ________________ this cold.
  5. When was this ________________ built?
  6. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  7. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  8. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. I'll be taking the ________________.
  15. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  16. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  19. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  20. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  21. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  22. The water is too ________________.
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  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. stand — for spectators
  2. game — wild animals
  3. fork — to eat with
  4. stand — to bear
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. cold — an illness
  7. cold — the Cold War
  8. stand — on your feet
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. track — a song
  11. tube — in a tire
  12. game — a match
  13. spring — of water
  14. tube — the underground
  15. track — to keep track
  16. fork — in a road
  17. spring — the season
  18. track — a path
  19. temple — side of the head
  20. fork — a garden tool
  21. tube — a container
  22. cold — not warm
  23. spring — a coil
  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