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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: temple · content · rock · ground · jam · staff

  1. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  2. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  3. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  4. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  5. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  6. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  7. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  8. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  9. There's no middle ________________.
  10. When was this ________________ built?
  11. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  12. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  13. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  14. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  15. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  16. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. We were using a ________________ as a seat.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — the earth
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. content — the amount
  4. temple — side of the head
  5. content — videos and posts
  6. content — happy
  7. staff — a stick
  8. jam — to spread on bread
  9. ground — a position
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. staff — employees
  12. rock — to move gently
  13. jam — a tight spot
  14. staff — employees
  15. rock — music
  16. jam — in traffic
  17. ground — crushed
  18. rock — a stone

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