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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. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  3. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  4. When was this ________________ built?
  5. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  6. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  13. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  16. The tickets are free of ________________.
  17. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  18. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  23. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  24. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. temple — side of the head
  3. ground — crushed
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. charge — electricity
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. band — a music group
  8. mark — to pay attention
  9. band — a ring
  10. rash — a series
  11. ground — the earth
  12. hide — animal skin
  13. mark — a grade
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. mark — a trace
  16. charge — a price
  17. clip — to cut
  18. clip — a video
  19. ground — a position
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. clip — for paper
  22. charge — in control
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. temple — a place of worship

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