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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 ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  6. When was this ________________ built?
  7. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  14. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  15. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  16. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. There's no middle ________________.
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  23. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  24. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. ground — the earth
  3. march — music
  4. court — for sport
  5. lean — thin
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. fall — to drop
  8. court — of a king
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. march — the month
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. shower — rain
  13. patient — calm and waiting
  14. lean — to bend
  15. temple — side of the head
  16. fall — the season
  17. court — of law
  18. march — the month
  19. shower — to wash
  20. ground — a position
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. fall — to drop
  24. lean — to rest against

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