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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. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  4. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  5. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  8. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. When was this ________________ built?
  20. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  21. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  22. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  23. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — with an edge
  2. field — for sport
  3. chest — of your body
  4. staff — employees
  5. temple — side of the head
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. bank — for money
  8. chest — of your body
  9. spring — of water
  10. spring — the season
  11. bank — of a river
  12. spring — a coil
  13. hand — help
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. hand — in cards
  16. chest — a box
  17. field — a subject
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. staff — a stick
  21. staff — employees
  22. bank — for money
  23. sharp — clever
  24. field — farmland

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