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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. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  4. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  5. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  6. When was this ________________ built?
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  9. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  12. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  16. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  17. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  18. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  19. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  20. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  21. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  22. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. field — a subject
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. foot — a measure
  5. foot — part of the body
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. bound — obliged
  8. foot — the bottom
  9. chest — of your body
  10. field — farmland
  11. chest — a box
  12. hide — animal skin
  13. bound — certain
  14. prune — to trim
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. prune — the fruit
  17. prune — to trim
  18. temple — side of the head
  19. bound — tied together
  20. track — a song
  21. track — to keep track
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. field — for sport
  24. track — a path

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