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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. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  2. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  3. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  6. What do you think of the new ________________?
  7. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  8. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  9. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  10. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  11. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  12. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  13. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. He was locked up in a ________________.
  16. How do you ________________ your surname?
  17. When was this ________________ built?
  18. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  19. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  20. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  21. There's no middle ________________.
  22. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  23. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  24. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — the earth
  2. wake — to stop sleeping
  3. cabinet — a cupboard
  4. spell — a short time
  5. wake — before a funeral
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. cell — a phone
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. chest — a box
  10. snap — to click
  11. chest — of your body
  12. snap — to speak sharply
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. wake — a trail
  15. cell — in a prison
  16. spell — letters
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. cell — in biology
  19. snap — to snap out of it
  20. ground — crushed
  21. ground — a position
  22. chest — of your body
  23. spell — magic
  24. temple — side of the head

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