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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. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  2. The King held a masked ________________.
  3. That must've been a ________________.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  6. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  12. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  13. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  14. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  15. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  16. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  17. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  18. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  19. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  20. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  24. When was this ________________ built?

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

Answer key

  1. temple — side of the head
  2. ball — a dance
  3. rush — a thrill
  4. field — a subject
  5. pound — for dogs
  6. fork — in a road
  7. rush — hurry
  8. pound — a weight
  9. field — for sport
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. ball — a great time
  13. vault — a safe
  14. fork — a garden tool
  15. pound — to hit hard
  16. vault — an arched ceiling
  17. vault — in gymnastics
  18. drill — the tool
  19. fork — to eat with
  20. drill — a practice
  21. drill — army training
  22. field — farmland
  23. ball — a round shape
  24. temple — a place of worship

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