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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. There's no middle ________________.
  2. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  5. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. When was this ________________ built?
  8. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  9. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  10. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  13. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  16. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  17. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  21. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  22. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  23. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  24. The people resisted their cruel ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. ground — crushed
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. ruler — for measuring
  5. ground — the earth
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. capital — a big letter
  11. hand — help
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. foot — the bottom
  14. hand — in cards
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. hide — animal skin
  17. capital — money
  18. mine — for digging
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. temple — side of the head
  21. foot — a measure
  22. foot — part of the body
  23. capital — a city
  24. ruler — a monarch

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