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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. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  2. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  3. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  9. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  12. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  15. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  16. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  17. When was this ________________ built?
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  20. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  21. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  22. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.

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

Answer key

  1. content — happy
  2. content — videos and posts
  3. ground — the earth
  4. staff — employees
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. spring — the season
  7. ground — a position
  8. leaves — of a tree
  9. leaves — lets stay
  10. spring — of water
  11. ground — crushed
  12. race — humankind
  13. content — the amount
  14. race — the arms race
  15. race — a contest
  16. staff — employees
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. wound — an injury
  19. staff — a stick
  20. wound — an injury
  21. temple — side of the head
  22. leaves — to go away
  23. spring — a coil
  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