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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. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  8. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  9. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  12. When was this ________________ built?
  13. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  14. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  15. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  19. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  20. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. track — a song
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. track — a path
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. spring — of water
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. ground — crushed
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. game — a match
  11. club — for dancing
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. temple — side of the head
  14. ruler — a monarch
  15. track — to keep track
  16. spring — a coil
  17. game — wild animals
  18. club — for golf
  19. fan — to cool the air
  20. club — a group
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. ground — the earth
  23. spring — the season
  24. ruler — for measuring

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