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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. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  3. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  4. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  5. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  8. When was this ________________ built?
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  11. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  14. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. Have you found your soul ________________?
  17. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  18. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  19. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  20. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  21. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  22. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  23. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. pound — for dogs
  3. kick — a thrill
  4. kick — with a leg
  5. root — of a word
  6. field — for sport
  7. pound — to hit hard
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. mate — a friend
  11. face — to confront
  12. field — farmland
  13. band — a ring
  14. face — to point toward
  15. band — a music group
  16. mate — a partner
  17. temple — side of the head
  18. root — the cause
  19. face — part of the head
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. pound — a weight
  22. root — of a plant
  23. kick — in football
  24. mate — to breed

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