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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
468
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: field · chest · last · temple · track · row · arm · season

  1. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  6. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  7. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  8. My father caught me by the ________________.
  9. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. When was this ________________ built?
  12. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  17. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  21. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  22. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  23. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  24. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a song
  2. season — of the year
  3. track — a path
  4. field — a subject
  5. row — to paddle
  6. arm — a part of something
  7. temple — side of the head
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. row — a line
  10. field — farmland
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. chest — a box
  13. last — finally
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. last — to go on
  16. chest — of your body
  17. row — a quarrel
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. season — in sport
  20. track — to keep track
  21. last — final
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. chest — of your body
  24. field — for sport

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