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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: ground · temple · kick · toast · staff · rule

  1. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  2. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  3. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  4. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  5. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  6. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  7. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  8. When was this ________________ built?
  9. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  10. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  11. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  12. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  13. There's no middle ________________.
  14. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  15. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  16. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  17. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  18. 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. temple — a place of worship
  2. staff — employees
  3. rule — to rule out
  4. staff — employees
  5. kick — in football
  6. ground — crushed
  7. toast — bread
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. rule — a law
  10. toast — a drink to someone
  11. kick — with a leg
  12. temple — side of the head
  13. ground — a position
  14. kick — a thrill
  15. toast — the most admired
  16. staff — a stick
  17. rule — government
  18. 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