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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. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  2. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  9. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  10. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  11. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  12. The tickets are free of ________________.
  13. There's no middle ________________.
  14. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  17. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  18. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  19. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  20. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  21. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  22. When was this ________________ built?
  23. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  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. wound — past of 'wind'
  2. chest — a box
  3. track — a song
  4. race — a contest
  5. wound — an injury
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. wound — an injury
  8. race — humankind
  9. ground — crushed
  10. track — to keep track
  11. dip — to dunk
  12. charge — a price
  13. ground — a position
  14. chest — of your body
  15. track — a path
  16. charge — electricity
  17. dip — a sauce
  18. charge — in control
  19. temple — side of the head
  20. race — the arms race
  21. dip — to sink
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. chest — of your body
  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