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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. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. Where did you ________________ them?
  3. When was this ________________ built?
  4. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  5. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  6. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  7. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  8. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  9. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  10. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  16. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  20. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  21. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  24. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. mug — to rob
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. kick — with a leg
  5. kick — in football
  6. rest — what's left
  7. straw — dry grass
  8. rest — what's left
  9. mug — a face
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. field — a subject
  12. field — farmland
  13. rock — to move gently
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. rock — a stone
  16. mug — a cup
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. wound — an injury
  19. kick — a thrill
  20. wound — an injury
  21. temple — side of the head
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. rest — a break
  24. rock — music

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