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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 stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  3. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  4. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. When was this ________________ built?
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  15. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  18. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  19. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  24. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. temple — side of the head
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. chip — to eat
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. rule — government
  9. field — a subject
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. rule — to rule out
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. branch — a division
  17. chip — in a computer
  18. patient — calm and waiting
  19. rule — a law
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. field — farmland
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. branch — of a tree
  24. chip — for betting

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