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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  2. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  3. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. When was this ________________ built?
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  10. There's no middle ________________.
  11. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  12. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  13. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  14. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  15. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  16. We're almost out of ________________.
  17. You don't need to ________________ round.
  18. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  21. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  22. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  23. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  24. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. content — the amount
  2. capital — a big letter
  3. ground — the earth
  4. temple — side of the head
  5. rash — hasty
  6. rash — a series
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. capital — money
  9. capital — a city
  10. ground — a position
  11. lean — thin
  12. ground — crushed
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. lean — to bend
  15. object — a thing
  16. pop — soda
  17. pop — to visit
  18. content — happy
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. pop — music
  21. object — to protest
  22. content — videos and posts
  23. lean — to rest against
  24. object — an aim

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