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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. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  5. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  6. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  7. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  8. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  9. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  10. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  11. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  12. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  13. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  14. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  15. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  16. When was this ________________ built?
  17. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  18. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  19. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  20. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. He hit the ball with his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. field — farmland
  4. dip — to dunk
  5. fork — in a road
  6. pitch — a sports field
  7. pitch — a sales talk
  8. drill — a practice
  9. pitch — completely
  10. racket — a loud noise
  11. drill — the tool
  12. can — a tin
  13. can — to be able to
  14. fork — to eat with
  15. dip — to sink
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. can — a tin
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. temple — side of the head
  20. dip — a sauce
  21. drill — army training
  22. fork — a garden tool
  23. field — for sport
  24. racket — for tennis

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