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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. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  2. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  5. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  6. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  7. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  8. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. When was this ________________ built?
  12. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  13. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  17. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  21. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  22. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  23. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  24. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.

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

Answer key

  1. face — part of the head
  2. tear — to rip
  3. field — farmland
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. deal — to handle
  6. deal — a big deal
  7. tear — from crying
  8. rock — to move gently
  9. wound — an injury
  10. wound — an injury
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. rock — a stone
  13. dip — to sink
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. face — to point toward
  16. tear — from crying
  17. dip — a sauce
  18. field — for sport
  19. field — a subject
  20. face — to confront
  21. dip — to dunk
  22. rock — music
  23. deal — an agreement
  24. temple — side of the head

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