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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. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  2. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  3. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  4. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  5. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  6. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  7. When was this ________________ built?
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  10. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  11. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. The light ________________ burned out.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  18. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  19. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  20. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  24. I've got to change the light ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. current — electric
  3. face — to point toward
  4. foot — part of the body
  5. temple — side of the head
  6. current — happening now
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. current — of water
  10. face — part of the head
  11. wake — to stop sleeping
  12. field — farmland
  13. bulb — for light
  14. field — a subject
  15. field — for sport
  16. land — ground
  17. foot — a measure
  18. foot — the bottom
  19. bulb — of a plant
  20. face — to confront
  21. land — to come down
  22. land — a country
  23. wake — a trail
  24. bulb — for light

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