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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. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  7. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  8. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  9. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  10. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  13. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  14. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  15. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  18. Have you met the new head ________________?
  19. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  20. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  21. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  22. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  23. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  24. When was this ________________ built?

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

Answer key

  1. toast — bread
  2. field — for sport
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. temple — side of the head
  5. field — farmland
  6. bore — to tire
  7. bark — to shout
  8. toast — the most admired
  9. scale — size or range
  10. fall — to drop
  11. field — a subject
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. bore — to drill
  14. bore — gave birth
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. fall — to drop
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. fall — the season
  20. scale — in music
  21. scale — for weighing
  22. bark — a dog's sound
  23. toast — a drink to someone
  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