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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. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  2. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  3. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  4. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  7. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  8. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  9. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  10. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  13. There's no middle ________________.
  14. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  18. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  19. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  20. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  23. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  24. When was this ________________ built?

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. foot — part of the body
  3. ground — crushed
  4. bear — to put up with
  5. field — a subject
  6. can — a tin
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. can — to be able to
  9. perch — the fish
  10. foot — a measure
  11. field — farmland
  12. bear — the animal
  13. ground — a position
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. field — for sport
  16. face — part of the head
  17. foot — the bottom
  18. can — a tin
  19. temple — side of the head
  20. ground — the earth
  21. face — to point toward
  22. bear — the animal
  23. face — to confront
  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