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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. That must've been a ________________.
  2. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  3. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  4. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  5. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  8. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  9. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  10. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  11. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  12. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  13. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  18. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  19. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  20. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  21. There's no middle ________________.
  22. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  23. When was this ________________ built?
  24. How do you ________________ your surname?

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

Answer key

  1. rush — a thrill
  2. drill — a practice
  3. ground — crushed
  4. ground — the earth
  5. foot — the bottom
  6. spell — a short time
  7. rule — to rule out
  8. foot — a measure
  9. drill — the tool
  10. foot — part of the body
  11. temple — side of the head
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. rule — a law
  14. spell — magic
  15. rule — government
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. stem — to come from
  18. drill — army training
  19. stem — of a plant
  20. rush — hurry
  21. ground — a position
  22. rush — to hurry
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. spell — letters

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