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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. I'll be taking the ________________.
  3. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  4. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  7. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  8. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  9. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  10. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  11. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  12. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  13. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  14. When was this ________________ built?
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  17. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  18. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  22. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  23. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  24. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. tube — the underground
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. temple — side of the head
  5. track — to keep track
  6. bank — for money
  7. track — a path
  8. bank — for money
  9. track — a song
  10. board — a flat piece
  11. chair — to sit on
  12. chair — a professorship
  13. tube — in a tire
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. field — a subject
  16. hide — animal skin
  17. chair — a leader
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. field — for sport
  20. field — farmland
  21. tube — a container
  22. bank — of a river
  23. board — a committee
  24. board — to get on

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