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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. There's no middle ________________.
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  4. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  5. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  6. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  7. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  10. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  11. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  12. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  17. When was this ________________ built?
  18. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  19. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  20. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  23. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  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. ground — a position
  2. field — a subject
  3. bear — the animal
  4. bear — the animal
  5. board — a flat piece
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. straw — a straw man
  8. ground — the earth
  9. board — a committee
  10. bear — to put up with
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. ground — crushed
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. field — for sport
  16. board — to get on
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. rule — a law
  19. perch — the fish
  20. rule — government
  21. field — farmland
  22. straw — dry grass
  23. rule — to rule out
  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