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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. When was this ________________ built?
  2. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  9. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. I'll be taking the ________________.
  12. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  13. David sat on the ________________.
  14. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  17. This piece is in a major ________________.
  18. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  19. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  20. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  21. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  22. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  23. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. field — a subject
  4. band — a music group
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. tube — in a tire
  7. field — farmland
  8. key — the most important part
  9. key — for a lock
  10. field — for sport
  11. tube — the underground
  12. face — to point toward
  13. swing — to play on
  14. face — part of the head
  15. tube — a container
  16. temple — side of the head
  17. key — in music
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. swing — music
  20. fan — to cool the air
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. swing — in golf
  23. face — to confront
  24. band — a ring

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