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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. When was this ________________ built?
  2. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  3. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  4. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  5. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  6. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  11. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  12. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  13. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  14. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  15. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  16. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  19. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  22. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  23. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  24. The polar ice ________________ is melting.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. rest — a break
  3. ground — crushed
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. ground — the earth
  6. cap — a hat
  7. ground — a position
  8. deal — a big deal
  9. land — to come down
  10. mark — a trace
  11. deal — an agreement
  12. leaves — to go away
  13. rest — what's left
  14. mark — to pay attention
  15. leaves — of a tree
  16. deal — to handle
  17. land — ground
  18. mark — a grade
  19. leaves — lets stay
  20. land — a country
  21. rest — what's left
  22. cap — a lid
  23. temple — side of the head
  24. cap — of ice

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