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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: fall · field · tear · last · squash · present · temple · suit

  1. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  2. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  3. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  4. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. When will it ________________ you to start?
  7. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  8. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  9. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  10. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  14. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  18. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  19. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  22. When was this ________________ built?
  23. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  24. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

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

Answer key

  1. present — there
  2. fall — to drop
  3. temple — side of the head
  4. fall — to drop
  5. last — finally
  6. suit — to fit
  7. fall — the season
  8. squash — to crush
  9. present — a gift
  10. squash — the sport
  11. last — final
  12. field — a subject
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. suit — in cards
  15. field — for sport
  16. last — to go on
  17. squash — the vegetable
  18. tear — to rip
  19. present — the time now
  20. field — farmland
  21. tear — from crying
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. suit — clothes
  24. tear — from crying

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