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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. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  2. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  4. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  5. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  6. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  7. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  10. When was this ________________ built?
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  13. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  17. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  18. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  19. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  20. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  23. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  24. There's no middle ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. spring — of water
  3. race — a contest
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. ground — the earth
  6. deal — to handle
  7. temple — side of the head
  8. court — of a king
  9. firm — a company
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. spring — the season
  12. deal — an agreement
  13. firm — decided
  14. court — for sport
  15. spring — a coil
  16. root — the cause
  17. root — of a word
  18. deal — a big deal
  19. root — of a plant
  20. firm — steady
  21. court — of law
  22. race — the arms race
  23. race — humankind
  24. ground — a position

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