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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 120 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. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. When was this ________________ built?
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  9. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  10. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  11. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  12. Have you met the new head ________________?
  13. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  14. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  15. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  16. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  17. The King held a masked ________________.
  18. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  19. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  20. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. field — farmland
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. ball — a round shape
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. coach — pulled by horses
  11. wake — to stop sleeping
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. chest — of your body
  14. wake — before a funeral
  15. chest — of your body
  16. ball — a great time
  17. ball — a dance
  18. fan — to cool the air
  19. temple — side of the head
  20. chest — a box
  21. mine — for digging
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. field — a subject
  24. wake — a trail

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