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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. There's no middle ________________.
  2. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  3. When was this ________________ built?
  4. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  5. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  8. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  11. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  12. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  15. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  16. The King held a masked ________________.
  17. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  18. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  19. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  20. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  21. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  22. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  23. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  24. Add some ________________ pepper to it.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. lean — to rest against
  5. drill — army training
  6. spring — a coil
  7. ground — the earth
  8. temple — side of the head
  9. spring — the season
  10. lean — to bend
  11. ball — a great time
  12. board — to get on
  13. spring — of water
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. board — a committee
  16. ball — a dance
  17. board — a flat piece
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. drill — a practice
  20. hide — animal skin
  21. ball — a round shape
  22. drill — the tool
  23. lean — thin
  24. ground — crushed

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