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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. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  3. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  4. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  5. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  9. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  12. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  13. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  14. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  15. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  16. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. When was this ________________ built?
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. perch — the fish
  3. drill — the tool
  4. pound — a weight
  5. rest — what's left
  6. season — in sport
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. rest — what's left
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. rest — a break
  13. temple — side of the head
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. pound — to hit hard
  16. pound — for dogs
  17. season — of the year
  18. mine — for digging
  19. field — farmland
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. drill — army training
  22. drill — a practice
  23. field — for sport
  24. field — a subject

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