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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. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  2. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  6. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  9. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  10. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  11. There's no middle ________________.
  12. When was this ________________ built?
  13. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  16. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  17. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  18. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  19. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  20. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  21. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — the bottom
  2. court — of law
  3. bound — tied together
  4. ground — crushed
  5. lie — to recline
  6. bound — obliged
  7. court — for sport
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. ground — a position
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. trunk — of an elephant
  14. bound — certain
  15. patient — calm and waiting
  16. trunk — of a car
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. foot — part of the body
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. foot — a measure
  21. temple — side of the head
  22. court — of a king
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. ground — the earth

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