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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. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  4. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  5. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  6. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  7. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  8. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  9. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  10. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. When was this ________________ built?
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  22. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  23. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  24. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.

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 — for sport
  3. fine — high quality
  4. root — of a word
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. pit — a hole
  7. march — music
  8. fine — a penalty
  9. fine — all right
  10. pit — in a race
  11. rash — a series
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. field — a subject
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. rash — hasty
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. march — the month
  18. march — the month
  19. root — of a plant
  20. field — farmland
  21. pit — a fruit stone
  22. temple — side of the head
  23. safe — a strongbox
  24. root — the cause

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