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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. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  3. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  4. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  5. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  6. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  7. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  8. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  9. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  12. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  13. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  14. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  15. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  16. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  17. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  18. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  19. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  20. When was this ________________ built?
  21. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  22. The water is too ________________.
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. The ________________ went through the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. rest — what's left
  3. rest — what's left
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. cold — an illness
  6. root — of a word
  7. nail — on a finger
  8. can — a tin
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. field — farmland
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. temple — side of the head
  13. ruler — a monarch
  14. can — to be able to
  15. can — a tin
  16. rest — a break
  17. root — the cause
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. cold — the Cold War
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. root — of a plant
  22. cold — not warm
  23. field — for sport
  24. nail — for a hammer

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