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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: temple · present · fine · foot · field · cold · perch · rash

  1. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  3. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  6. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  9. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  12. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  13. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  14. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  15. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  16. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  17. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. The water is too ________________.
  21. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  22. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  23. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  24. When was this ________________ built?

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. perch — the fish
  3. foot — part of the body
  4. rash — hasty
  5. fine — high quality
  6. fine — a penalty
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. cold — an illness
  10. field — farmland
  11. present — there
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. foot — the bottom
  14. fine — all right
  15. temple — side of the head
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. present — a gift
  18. rash — a series
  19. field — for sport
  20. cold — not warm
  21. foot — a measure
  22. present — the time now
  23. cold — the Cold War
  24. temple — a place of worship

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