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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. When was this ________________ built?
  2. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  3. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  8. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  13. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  16. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  17. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  18. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  21. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  22. There's no middle ________________.
  23. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  24. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. wave — of the sea
  4. field — for sport
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. stock — goods
  7. wave — a sudden rise
  8. ground — crushed
  9. stock — shares
  10. current — electric
  11. field — a subject
  12. face — to point toward
  13. temple — side of the head
  14. ground — the earth
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. current — happening now
  17. wave — with your hand
  18. current — of water
  19. field — farmland
  20. face — part of the head
  21. hide — animal skin
  22. ground — a position
  23. stock — a soup base
  24. face — to confront

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