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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. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  2. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  3. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. The King held a masked ________________.
  7. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  8. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  9. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  14. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  17. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  18. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  19. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  20. There's no middle ________________.
  21. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  22. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. When was this ________________ built?

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

Answer key

  1. deal — an agreement
  2. ground — the earth
  3. mark — a trace
  4. last — final
  5. last — finally
  6. ball — a dance
  7. deal — to handle
  8. ground — crushed
  9. mark — a grade
  10. game — wild animals
  11. deal — a big deal
  12. last — to go on
  13. mark — to pay attention
  14. pit — a hole
  15. game — a match
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. pit — a fruit stone
  18. temple — side of the head
  19. ball — a round shape
  20. ground — a position
  21. ball — a great time
  22. pit — in a race
  23. game — a kind of play
  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