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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. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  3. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  4. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  5. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  6. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  7. When was this ________________ built?
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. What do you think of the new ________________?
  10. My mare is ________________ in color.
  11. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  12. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  13. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  14. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  15. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  16. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  19. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  20. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  21. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  22. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  23. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  24. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. chest — a box
  3. current — happening now
  4. wave — with your hand
  5. chest — of your body
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. field — farmland
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. bay — a horse colour
  11. lean — to bend
  12. bay — to keep at bay
  13. cabinet — a cupboard
  14. current — of water
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. current — electric
  17. field — for sport
  18. wave — of the sea
  19. bay — a part of the sea
  20. lean — thin
  21. wave — a sudden rise
  22. temple — side of the head
  23. chest — of your body
  24. lean — to rest against

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