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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. When was this ________________ built?
  2. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  3. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  4. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  5. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  6. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  7. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  8. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  9. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  10. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  14. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  15. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  16. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  17. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  20. I'll be taking the ________________.
  21. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  22. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  23. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  24. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. tube — a container
  3. face — to point toward
  4. cue — for pool
  5. race — a contest
  6. temple — side of the head
  7. face — to confront
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. race — humankind
  10. cue — a hint
  11. field — farmland
  12. field — for sport
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. perch — the fish
  15. face — part of the head
  16. lash — an eyelash
  17. cue — a signal
  18. field — a subject
  19. tube — in a tire
  20. tube — the underground
  21. lash — a whip stroke
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. lash — to lash out
  24. race — the arms race

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