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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. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  2. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  3. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  4. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  8. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  9. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  14. When was this ________________ built?
  15. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  16. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  19. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  20. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  23. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  24. I don't want to ________________ the boat.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. fine — a penalty
  3. rock — music
  4. fine — high quality
  5. season — of the year
  6. season — in sport
  7. rock — a stone
  8. bank — for money
  9. fine — all right
  10. field — farmland
  11. vault — a safe
  12. field — for sport
  13. chip — to eat
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. vault — an arched ceiling
  16. chip — for betting
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. bank — of a river
  19. vault — in gymnastics
  20. temple — side of the head
  21. field — a subject
  22. chip — in a computer
  23. bank — for money
  24. rock — to move gently

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