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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.

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: date · temple · coach · squash · hide · field · deal · row

  1. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  3. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  4. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  5. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. Have you settled on a ________________?
  8. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  9. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  10. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  11. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  12. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  13. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  14. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  15. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  16. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  17. Have you met the new head ________________?
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. When was this ________________ built?
  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. row — a line
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. row — a quarrel
  6. field — farmland
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. squash — the sport
  9. deal — an agreement
  10. coach — pulled by horses
  11. deal — a big deal
  12. hide — animal skin
  13. deal — to handle
  14. date — the fruit
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. squash — to crush
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. row — to paddle
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. field — for sport
  21. squash — the vegetable
  22. field — a subject
  23. temple — a place of worship
  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