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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. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. When was this ________________ built?
  3. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  4. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  9. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. That must've been a ________________.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  15. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. How do you ________________ your surname?
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  22. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  23. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  24. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. temple — side of the head
  4. rush — to hurry
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. wave — a sudden rise
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. wave — with your hand
  9. shower — a meteor shower
  10. field — a subject
  11. spell — a short time
  12. rush — a thrill
  13. field — farmland
  14. wave — of the sea
  15. shower — rain
  16. spell — magic
  17. spell — letters
  18. mine — for digging
  19. vault — in gymnastics
  20. shower — to wash
  21. vault — a safe
  22. rush — hurry
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. vault — an arched ceiling

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