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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. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  2. When was this ________________ built?
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  5. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  6. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  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. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  12. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  13. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  14. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  17. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  18. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  19. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  20. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  21. Where did you ________________ them?
  22. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  23. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  24. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.

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. degree — an amount
  4. mug — a face
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. last — finally
  8. ground — the earth
  9. temple — side of the head
  10. ground — a position
  11. leaves — of a tree
  12. last — final
  13. hide — animal skin
  14. chest — a box
  15. last — to go on
  16. leaves — to go away
  17. chest — of your body
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. mug — a cup
  20. leaves — lets stay
  21. mug — to rob
  22. degree — from a university
  23. chest — of your body
  24. degree — temperature

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