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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. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  2. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  5. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  6. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  7. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  11. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  14. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  15. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  16. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  19. When was this ________________ built?
  20. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  23. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  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. ground — crushed
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. ground — a position
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. temple — side of the head
  6. bear — the animal
  7. bear — the animal
  8. file — a line of people
  9. file — a document
  10. fall — to drop
  11. bear — to put up with
  12. bound — certain
  13. chair — to sit on
  14. fall — to drop
  15. fall — the season
  16. chair — a professorship
  17. file — a tool
  18. chair — a leader
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. calf — of the leg
  21. bound — tied together
  22. bound — obliged
  23. calf — a young animal
  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