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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 black ________________ roamed the forest.
  2. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  3. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  4. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  9. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  10. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  13. When was this ________________ built?
  14. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  17. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  18. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  22. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. object — to protest
  3. object — an aim
  4. temple — side of the head
  5. track — to keep track
  6. hand — in cards
  7. field — for sport
  8. object — a thing
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. bear — to put up with
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. drill — the tool
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. bear — the animal
  15. field — farmland
  16. track — a path
  17. chip — to eat
  18. chip — in a computer
  19. track — a song
  20. field — a subject
  21. drill — a practice
  22. drill — army training
  23. hand — help
  24. chip — for betting

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