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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. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  2. There's no middle ________________.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  9. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  10. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  11. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  12. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  17. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  18. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  19. When was this ________________ built?
  20. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  21. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  22. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — a company
  2. ground — a position
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. temple — side of the head
  5. spell — magic
  6. firm — decided
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. kid — child
  9. kick — with a leg
  10. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  11. kid — to tease
  12. foot — the bottom
  13. spell — letters
  14. foot — part of the body
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. kick — a thrill
  17. foot — a measure
  18. ground — crushed
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. firm — steady
  22. kick — in football
  23. spell — a short time
  24. ground — the earth

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