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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: safe · temple · board · lash · field · march · chest · fan

  1. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  6. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  10. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  11. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  12. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  13. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  18. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  19. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  20. When was this ________________ built?
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  23. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  24. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a flat piece
  2. field — farmland
  3. board — to get on
  4. march — the month
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. temple — side of the head
  7. field — for sport
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. lash — to lash out
  10. lash — a whip stroke
  11. lash — an eyelash
  12. chest — a box
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. march — the month
  15. chest — of your body
  16. field — a subject
  17. safe — a strongbox
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. fan — to cool the air
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. march — music
  22. chest — of your body
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. board — a committee

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