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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. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  3. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  4. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  5. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  6. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  7. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  8. My mare is ________________ in color.
  9. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  10. When was this ________________ built?
  11. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  12. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  19. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  20. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  23. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  24. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. pit — in a race
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. face — part of the head
  5. face — to point toward
  6. bay — to keep at bay
  7. pit — a hole
  8. bay — a horse colour
  9. row — a line
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. pit — a fruit stone
  12. deal — a big deal
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. row — to paddle
  17. field — for sport
  18. row — a quarrel
  19. temple — side of the head
  20. deal — an agreement
  21. field — farmland
  22. face — to confront
  23. bay — a part of the sea
  24. deal — to handle

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