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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. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  2. There's no middle ________________.
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  6. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  7. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  8. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  9. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  10. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  11. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  14. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  17. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  18. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  19. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  20. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  23. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  24. When was this ________________ built?

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to dunk
  2. ground — a position
  3. band — a music group
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. foot — part of the body
  6. foot — the bottom
  7. chest — of your body
  8. dip — to sink
  9. chest — of your body
  10. drill — army training
  11. foot — a measure
  12. band — a ring
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. dip — a sauce
  15. ground — crushed
  16. calf — of the leg
  17. drill — a practice
  18. chest — a box
  19. drill — the tool
  20. temple — side of the head
  21. ground — the earth
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. temple — a place of worship

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