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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. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  2. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. The light ________________ burned out.
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  8. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  9. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  10. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  11. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  12. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  13. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  14. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  15. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  16. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. When was this ________________ built?
  19. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. I've got to change the light ________________.
  24. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. bulb — for light
  4. track — to keep track
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. sharp — clever
  7. track — a path
  8. club — for golf
  9. track — a song
  10. toast — the most admired
  11. toast — a drink to someone
  12. bulb — of a plant
  13. face — to confront
  14. toast — bread
  15. face — part of the head
  16. club — a group
  17. field — farmland
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. face — to point toward
  20. field — a subject
  21. club — for dancing
  22. field — for sport
  23. bulb — for light
  24. temple — side of the head

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