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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: ruler · mate · field · chest · temple · dip · fall · land

  1. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  2. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  3. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  4. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  5. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  6. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  7. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  8. When was this ________________ built?
  9. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  10. Have you found your soul ________________?
  11. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  12. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  23. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — side of the head
  2. dip — to dunk
  3. dip — a sauce
  4. chest — a box
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. chest — of your body
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. ruler — a monarch
  10. mate — a partner
  11. fall — to drop
  12. dip — to sink
  13. field — farmland
  14. land — ground
  15. mate — a friend
  16. land — a country
  17. land — to come down
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. field — for sport
  20. fall — the season
  21. field — a subject
  22. chest — of your body
  23. fall — to drop
  24. mate — to breed

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