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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. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  2. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  3. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  6. This piece is in a major ________________.
  7. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  10. When was this ________________ built?
  11. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  14. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  15. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  16. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  17. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  18. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  19. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  20. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  21. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  22. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  23. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  24. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — farmland
  2. temple — side of the head
  3. key — for a lock
  4. field — for sport
  5. key — the most important part
  6. key — in music
  7. chest — a box
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. race — a contest
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. race — the arms race
  12. field — a subject
  13. mouse — for a computer
  14. wind — moving air
  15. chest — of your body
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. chest — of your body
  18. wind — moving air
  19. race — humankind
  20. toast — a drink to someone
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. toast — bread
  23. toast — the most admired
  24. mouse — the animal

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