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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. There's no middle ________________.
  2. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  3. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  4. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  5. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  6. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  7. When was this ________________ built?
  8. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  9. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  10. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  11. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  12. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  13. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  14. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  17. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  18. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  19. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  24. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. ground — the earth
  3. chair — a professorship
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. tear — from crying
  6. content — happy
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. tear — to rip
  9. content — the amount
  10. chair — a leader
  11. stick — to attach or keep to
  12. chair — to sit on
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. ground — crushed
  15. court — of law
  16. tear — from crying
  17. content — videos and posts
  18. temple — side of the head
  19. foot — a measure
  20. court — for sport
  21. foot — part of the body
  22. court — of a king
  23. foot — the bottom
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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