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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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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: dip · field · rest · key · hand · mark · row · temple

  1. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  2. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  3. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  4. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  5. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  6. When was this ________________ built?
  7. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  10. This piece is in a major ________________.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  13. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  14. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  19. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  20. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  23. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. field — farmland
  2. mark — a grade
  3. rest — a break
  4. key — for a lock
  5. rest — what's left
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. row — a line
  10. key — in music
  11. field — a subject
  12. row — to paddle
  13. dip — to sink
  14. dip — to dunk
  15. hand — in cards
  16. key — the most important part
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. mark — to pay attention
  19. mark — a trace
  20. rest — what's left
  21. field — for sport
  22. dip — a sauce
  23. temple — side of the head
  24. hand — help

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