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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 120 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. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  4. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  5. What do you think of the new ________________?
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  9. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  10. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  11. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  12. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  13. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  16. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  17. David sat on the ________________.
  18. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  19. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  23. When was this ________________ built?
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. field — farmland
  3. chip — in a computer
  4. bowl — to roll
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. ground — a position
  7. spring — of water
  8. swing — in golf
  9. chip — for betting
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. ground — crushed
  12. swing — music
  13. chip — to eat
  14. field — for sport
  15. ground — the earth
  16. cabinet — a cupboard
  17. swing — to play on
  18. bowl — a football final
  19. temple — side of the head
  20. field — a subject
  21. spring — the season
  22. bowl — a dish
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. spring — a coil

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