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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 soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  2. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  3. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  4. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  5. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  6. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. He was locked up in a ________________.
  12. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  13. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  16. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  20. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  21. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  22. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  23. The ball is in your ________________.
  24. When was this ________________ built?

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

Answer key

  1. drill — army training
  2. temple — side of the head
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. staff — employees
  5. safe — a strongbox
  6. rest — a break
  7. field — farmland
  8. rest — what's left
  9. field — for sport
  10. court — of law
  11. cell — in a prison
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. cell — in biology
  14. drill — a practice
  15. drill — the tool
  16. cell — a phone
  17. field — a subject
  18. court — of a king
  19. rest — what's left
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. staff — a stick
  22. staff — employees
  23. court — for sport
  24. temple — a place of worship

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