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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: mate · wound · face · kick · rule · nail · field · temple

  1. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  2. When was this ________________ built?
  3. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  4. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  7. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  8. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  9. The ________________ went through the wall.
  10. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  13. Have you found your soul ________________?
  14. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  15. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  16. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  17. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  23. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  24. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — to breed
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. temple — side of the head
  4. face — to point toward
  5. field — for sport
  6. mate — a friend
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. nail — on a finger
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. face — to confront
  11. wound — an injury
  12. kick — a thrill
  13. mate — a partner
  14. face — part of the head
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. rule — government
  17. rule — a law
  18. field — farmland
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. kick — with a leg
  21. field — a subject
  22. rule — to rule out
  23. wound — an injury
  24. kick — in football

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