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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. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  2. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  5. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  6. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  7. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  8. When was this ________________ built?
  9. You don't need to ________________ round.
  10. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  11. My father caught me by the ________________.
  12. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. I can't ________________ this cold.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  18. We're almost out of ________________.
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  22. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  23. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  24. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — to pay attention
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. field — for sport
  4. stand — for spectators
  5. temple — side of the head
  6. mark — a grade
  7. pop — music
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. pop — to visit
  10. stand — on your feet
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. field — a subject
  14. stand — to bear
  15. rash — a series
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. bore — gave birth
  18. pop — soda
  19. rash — hasty
  20. field — farmland
  21. bore — to tire
  22. bore — to drill
  23. arm — a part of something
  24. mark — a trace

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