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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. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  6. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  7. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  10. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  11. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  15. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  16. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  17. I'll be taking the ________________.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  20. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  23. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  24. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. field — a subject
  3. dip — to dunk
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. dip — a sauce
  6. tube — a container
  7. pitch — completely
  8. field — for sport
  9. temple — side of the head
  10. dip — to sink
  11. current — happening now
  12. field — farmland
  13. mine — for digging
  14. pitch — a sports field
  15. current — of water
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. tube — the underground
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. current — electric
  20. clip — a video
  21. clip — for paper
  22. pitch — a sales talk
  23. tube — in a tire
  24. clip — to cut

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