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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: object · club · mate · ground · mine · temple · last · field

  1. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  2. There's no middle ________________.
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  18. When was this ________________ built?
  19. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  20. Have you found your soul ________________?
  21. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  24. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?

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

Answer key

  1. object — a thing
  2. ground — a position
  3. mate — to breed
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. mine — for digging
  6. object — an aim
  7. last — to go on
  8. field — for sport
  9. club — a group
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. object — to protest
  12. ground — the earth
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. field — a subject
  15. field — farmland
  16. last — final
  17. club — for dancing
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. club — for golf
  20. mate — a partner
  21. temple — side of the head
  22. last — finally
  23. ground — crushed
  24. mate — a friend

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