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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. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  4. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  5. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  8. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  9. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  10. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  11. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  12. When will it ________________ you to start?
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  15. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  21. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. When was this ________________ built?
  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. temple — a place of worship
  2. game — wild animals
  3. squash — the vegetable
  4. lie — to recline
  5. branch — of a bank
  6. game — a match
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. squash — the sport
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. craft — a skill
  11. branch — of a tree
  12. suit — to fit
  13. field — for sport
  14. craft — a handicraft
  15. suit — clothes
  16. field — a subject
  17. branch — a division
  18. squash — to crush
  19. field — farmland
  20. suit — in cards
  21. craft — boats
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. temple — a place of worship
  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