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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. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  5. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  8. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  9. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  12. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  13. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  14. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  15. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  16. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  17. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  18. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  19. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  20. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  21. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  22. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  23. When was this ________________ built?
  24. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. bear — the animal
  3. field — a subject
  4. lie — to recline
  5. squash — the sport
  6. march — the month
  7. chip — to eat
  8. club — for dancing
  9. chip — for betting
  10. field — farmland
  11. club — a group
  12. temple — side of the head
  13. chip — in a computer
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. club — for golf
  16. march — the month
  17. march — music
  18. squash — the vegetable
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. bear — the animal
  22. bear — to put up with
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. squash — to crush

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