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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 trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  2. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  3. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  5. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  6. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  7. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  8. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  9. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  10. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  11. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  12. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  13. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  14. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  15. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  16. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  19. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  20. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  23. When was this ________________ built?
  24. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?

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

Answer key

  1. temple — side of the head
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. tear — from crying
  5. racket — a loud noise
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. vault — an arched ceiling
  8. vault — in gymnastics
  9. content — the amount
  10. chip — to eat
  11. ground — crushed
  12. vault — a safe
  13. ground — the earth
  14. tear — from crying
  15. chip — for betting
  16. cap — a hat
  17. ground — a position
  18. tear — to rip
  19. content — happy
  20. cap — of ice
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. chip — in a computer
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. cap — a lid

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