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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
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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: club · rule · last · season · bulb · field · temple · toast

  1. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  2. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  3. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  8. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. I've got to change the light ________________.
  19. The light ________________ burned out.
  20. When was this ________________ built?
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  23. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  24. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. club — for dancing
  3. club — a group
  4. field — farmland
  5. toast — bread
  6. last — to go on
  7. bulb — of a plant
  8. rule — to rule out
  9. last — final
  10. rule — a law
  11. season — in sport
  12. rule — government
  13. field — a subject
  14. last — finally
  15. field — for sport
  16. toast — the most admired
  17. season — of the year
  18. bulb — for light
  19. bulb — for light
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. club — for golf
  23. temple — side of the head
  24. toast — a drink to someone

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