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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 120 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. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  7. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  8. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  9. When was this ________________ built?
  10. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  15. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  16. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  19. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  20. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  21. The ________________ market has crashed.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  24. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. field — a subject
  3. land — to come down
  4. land — ground
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. bore — to drill
  7. temple — side of the head
  8. wind — moving air
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. wind — to turn a key
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. bore — gave birth
  16. bore — to tire
  17. land — a country
  18. wind — moving air
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. lie — to recline
  21. stock — shares
  22. field — farmland
  23. stock — goods
  24. straw — to clutch at straws

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