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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. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. What do you think of the new ________________?
  7. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  8. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  11. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. That must've been a ________________.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  17. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. We're on a ________________ here.
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  23. When was this ________________ built?
  24. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. bear — the animal
  3. march — the month
  4. cabinet — a cupboard
  5. field — farmland
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. march — music
  10. bear — the animal
  11. temple — side of the head
  12. mine — for digging
  13. rush — a thrill
  14. field — a subject
  15. march — the month
  16. roll — a list
  17. rush — hurry
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. roll — on a roll
  21. field — for sport
  22. roll — a cake
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. bear — to put up with

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