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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. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  2. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  4. When was this ________________ built?
  5. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  6. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  7. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  8. There's no middle ________________.
  9. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  10. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  11. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  12. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  13. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  14. He was locked up in a ________________.
  15. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  16. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  17. That must've been a ________________.
  18. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  19. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  20. I can't ________________ this cold.
  21. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  22. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  23. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  24. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

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

Answer key

  1. present — a gift
  2. ground — crushed
  3. kid — child
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. cell — a phone
  6. ground — the earth
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. ground — a position
  9. rush — to hurry
  10. can — a tin
  11. stand — on your feet
  12. temple — side of the head
  13. can — to be able to
  14. cell — in a prison
  15. present — there
  16. stand — for spectators
  17. rush — a thrill
  18. kid — to tease
  19. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  20. stand — to bear
  21. can — a tin
  22. rush — hurry
  23. present — the time now
  24. cell — in biology

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