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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. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  2. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  10. There's no middle ________________.
  11. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  14. The King held a masked ________________.
  15. When was this ________________ built?
  16. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  17. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  18. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  19. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. He was locked up in a ________________.
  22. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  23. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  24. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — a weight
  2. cell — in biology
  3. field — farmland
  4. foot — part of the body
  5. ground — crushed
  6. degree — an amount
  7. field — a subject
  8. ground — the earth
  9. temple — side of the head
  10. ground — a position
  11. pound — for dogs
  12. field — for sport
  13. foot — a measure
  14. ball — a dance
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. degree — from a university
  17. ball — a round shape
  18. foot — the bottom
  19. ball — a great time
  20. degree — temperature
  21. cell — in a prison
  22. cell — a phone
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. pound — to hit hard

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