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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. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  2. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  3. When was this ________________ built?
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  12. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  13. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  14. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  17. She's very handy with a ________________.
  18. The ________________ went through the wall.
  19. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  20. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. sharp — clever
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. field — for sport
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. field — a subject
  9. saw — the tool
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. nail — on a finger
  12. temple — side of the head
  13. branch — a division
  14. branch — of a bank
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. present — a gift
  17. saw — the tool
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. present — the time now
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. field — farmland
  22. present — there
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. stick — to attach or keep to

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