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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 trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  2. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  5. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  13. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  14. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  15. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  16. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  17. Where did you ________________ them?
  18. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  19. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  20. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  21. When was this ________________ built?
  22. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  24. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — side of the head
  2. march — music
  3. field — farmland
  4. toast — the most admired
  5. chip — for betting
  6. march — the month
  7. field — for sport
  8. march — the month
  9. clip — a video
  10. mug — a face
  11. field — a subject
  12. chip — to eat
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. mug — a cup
  15. toast — a drink to someone
  16. prune — the fruit
  17. mug — to rob
  18. clip — for paper
  19. clip — to cut
  20. toast — bread
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. chip — in a computer
  23. prune — to trim
  24. prune — to trim

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