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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. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  2. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  3. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  4. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  8. When was this ________________ built?
  9. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  12. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  13. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  18. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  24. What do you think of the new ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. file — a line of people
  2. temple — side of the head
  3. content — the amount
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. field — for sport
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. kick — with a leg
  10. branch — a division
  11. can — a tin
  12. kick — a thrill
  13. cabinet — a cupboard
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. content — happy
  16. file — a document
  17. can — to be able to
  18. kick — in football
  19. field — farmland
  20. can — a tin
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. field — a subject
  23. file — a tool
  24. cabinet — ministers

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