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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. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  2. We're almost out of ________________.
  3. When was this ________________ built?
  4. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  5. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  6. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  7. What do you think of the new ________________?
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  12. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. The light ________________ burned out.
  20. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  23. I've got to change the light ________________.
  24. You don't need to ________________ round.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. pop — soda
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. hide — animal skin
  5. drill — army training
  6. temple — side of the head
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. field — farmland
  9. pop — music
  10. drill — a practice
  11. drill — the tool
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. field — a subject
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. cabinet — a cupboard
  18. field — for sport
  19. bulb — for light
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. bulb — of a plant
  23. bulb — for light
  24. pop — to visit

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