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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. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  2. He is an ace ________________.
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  6. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  7. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  8. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  9. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  10. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  11. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  12. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  13. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. The tickets are free of ________________.
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  21. The water is too ________________.
  22. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  23. When was this ________________ built?
  24. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — part of the body
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. field — farmland
  4. field — a subject
  5. temple — side of the head
  6. bound — tied together
  7. track — to keep track
  8. bound — obliged
  9. track — a path
  10. foot — the bottom
  11. track — a song
  12. cold — an illness
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. field — for sport
  15. cold — the Cold War
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. charge — a price
  19. bound — certain
  20. charge — in control
  21. cold — not warm
  22. charge — electricity
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. foot — a measure

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