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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. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  2. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  3. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  4. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  5. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  6. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  11. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  12. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  17. How do you ________________ your surname?
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  20. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  21. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  22. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  23. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  24. When was this ________________ built?

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

Answer key

  1. temple — side of the head
  2. pound — for dogs
  3. pound — a weight
  4. foot — a measure
  5. pound — to hit hard
  6. dip — to dunk
  7. ground — a position
  8. foot — part of the body
  9. game — a match
  10. present — the time now
  11. spell — magic
  12. dip — to sink
  13. spell — a short time
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. game — wild animals
  16. ground — crushed
  17. spell — letters
  18. ground — the earth
  19. present — a gift
  20. foot — the bottom
  21. present — there
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. dip — a sauce
  24. temple — a place of worship

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