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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. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  2. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  3. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. When was this ________________ built?
  6. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  7. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  10. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  11. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  12. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  13. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  16. That must've been a ________________.
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  23. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. bass — the fish
  3. bear — the animal
  4. field — farmland
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. temple — side of the head
  7. bass — low music
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. cap — a lid
  10. bass — the instrument
  11. cap — a hat
  12. bear — the animal
  13. bear — to put up with
  14. field — a subject
  15. rush — to hurry
  16. rush — a thrill
  17. season — in sport
  18. field — for sport
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. season — of the year
  22. cap — of ice
  23. rush — hurry
  24. wake — a trail

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