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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. When was this ________________ built?
  2. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  5. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  6. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  7. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  8. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  9. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  10. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  11. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  16. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  17. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  20. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. We're on a ________________ here.
  23. I'll be taking the ________________.
  24. How do you ________________ your surname?

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. roll — a cake
  3. field — a subject
  4. wake — to stop sleeping
  5. temple — side of the head
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. squash — to crush
  8. tube — a container
  9. wake — before a funeral
  10. object — an aim
  11. object — a thing
  12. spell — a short time
  13. roll — a list
  14. field — farmland
  15. squash — the sport
  16. squash — the vegetable
  17. tube — in a tire
  18. spell — magic
  19. object — to protest
  20. wake — a trail
  21. field — for sport
  22. roll — on a roll
  23. tube — the underground
  24. spell — letters

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