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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. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  2. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. Have you found your soul ________________?
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  14. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  15. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  16. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  17. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  18. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. When was this ________________ built?
  21. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  22. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  23. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  24. I would like to have a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — to pay attention
  2. ground — the earth
  3. ground — a position
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. land — ground
  6. rest — what's left
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. rest — what's left
  9. land — to come down
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. mate — a partner
  12. squash — the sport
  13. squash — to crush
  14. temple — side of the head
  15. squash — the vegetable
  16. ground — crushed
  17. mate — to breed
  18. mark — a grade
  19. land — a country
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. mate — a friend
  22. straw — a straw man
  23. mark — a trace
  24. rest — a break

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