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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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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: rule · fall · temple · pitcher · tear · kick · roll · field

  1. When was this ________________ built?
  2. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  3. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  4. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  5. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  6. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  9. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  10. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  13. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  14. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  15. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  16. We're on a ________________ here.
  17. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  22. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. fall — the season
  3. temple — side of the head
  4. tear — from crying
  5. fall — to drop
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. field — a subject
  8. rule — government
  9. roll — a cake
  10. roll — a list
  11. field — for sport
  12. kick — a thrill
  13. tear — from crying
  14. rule — to rule out
  15. fall — to drop
  16. roll — on a roll
  17. rule — a law
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. kick — in football
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. tear — to rip
  22. kick — with a leg
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. field — farmland

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