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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. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  2. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  7. When was this ________________ built?
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  15. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  16. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  17. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  22. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — side of the head
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. field — farmland
  6. toast — the most admired
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. toast — a drink to someone
  10. wax — to grow
  11. game — wild animals
  12. mark — a grade
  13. mine — for digging
  14. present — there
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. present — the time now
  17. mark — a trace
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. mark — to pay attention
  20. field — a subject
  21. present — a gift
  22. toast — bread
  23. field — for sport
  24. game — a match

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