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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. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  2. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  3. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  4. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  5. When was this ________________ built?
  6. Have you met the new head ________________?
  7. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  8. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  11. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  12. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  13. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  14. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  17. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  22. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to dunk
  2. pit — a hole
  3. leaves — to go away
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. degree — from a university
  8. dip — to sink
  9. degree — an amount
  10. dip — a sauce
  11. pit — in a race
  12. leaves — lets stay
  13. leaves — of a tree
  14. degree — temperature
  15. march — the month
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. march — music
  18. field — farmland
  19. pit — a fruit stone
  20. field — for sport
  21. coach — pulled by horses
  22. temple — side of the head
  23. march — the month
  24. field — a subject

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