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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. When was this ________________ built?
  2. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  7. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  8. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  12. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  13. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  14. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  15. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  20. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  21. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  22. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  23. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  24. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. scale — in music
  3. last — to go on
  4. last — final
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. jam — in traffic
  7. hide — animal skin
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. field — a subject
  10. last — finally
  11. trunk — of a tree
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. temple — side of the head
  14. toast — bread
  15. toast — a drink to someone
  16. field — for sport
  17. jam — to spread on bread
  18. field — farmland
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. scale — for weighing
  21. toast — the most admired
  22. trunk — of a car
  23. jam — a tight spot
  24. scale — size or range

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