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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 stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  3. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  4. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  5. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  6. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  9. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  10. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  11. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  14. The tickets are free of ________________.
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  17. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  18. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  19. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  23. When was this ________________ built?
  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. field — for sport
  2. stick — to attach or keep to
  3. branch — of a tree
  4. content — the amount
  5. charge — electricity
  6. charge — in control
  7. kid — child
  8. craft — a skill
  9. temple — side of the head
  10. craft — boats
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. field — a subject
  13. craft — a handicraft
  14. charge — a price
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. content — happy
  18. branch — a division
  19. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  20. field — farmland
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. kid — to tease
  23. temple — a place of worship
  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