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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 120 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. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  2. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  3. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  4. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  5. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  8. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  9. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  10. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  11. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  12. When was this ________________ built?
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  15. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  16. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  19. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  20. There's no middle ________________.
  21. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  22. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  23. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  24. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — steady
  2. ground — the earth
  3. pound — for dogs
  4. pound — a weight
  5. trunk — of a tree
  6. file — a document
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. chair — a professorship
  9. pound — to hit hard
  10. capital — a big letter
  11. firm — a company
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. file — a tool
  14. temple — side of the head
  15. trunk — of an elephant
  16. ground — crushed
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. chair — a leader
  19. capital — money
  20. ground — a position
  21. file — a line of people
  22. firm — decided
  23. capital — a city
  24. chair — to sit on

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