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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. There's no middle ________________.
  2. We're on a ________________ here.
  3. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  4. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  5. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  6. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  7. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  8. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  9. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  10. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  11. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  12. I'll be taking the ________________.
  13. When was this ________________ built?
  14. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  15. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  16. The King held a masked ________________.
  17. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  18. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  19. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  20. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  21. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  22. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  23. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  24. Add some ________________ pepper to it.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. roll — on a roll
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. temple — side of the head
  5. ball — a round shape
  6. capital — money
  7. root — of a word
  8. roll — a cake
  9. ground — the earth
  10. tube — in a tire
  11. ball — a great time
  12. tube — the underground
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. roll — a list
  15. capital — a big letter
  16. ball — a dance
  17. tube — a container
  18. dip — to sink
  19. root — of a plant
  20. dip — a sauce
  21. dip — to dunk
  22. capital — a city
  23. root — the cause
  24. ground — crushed

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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