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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: firm · temple · mate · ground · club · cell · foot · scale

  1. When was this ________________ built?
  2. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  4. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  5. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  6. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  7. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  8. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  9. There's no middle ________________.
  10. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  13. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  14. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  15. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  16. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  17. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  18. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  19. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  20. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  21. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  22. He was locked up in a ________________.
  23. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  24. Have you found your soul ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. mate — a friend
  3. firm — steady
  4. club — for dancing
  5. cell — a phone
  6. firm — a company
  7. foot — a measure
  8. club — a group
  9. ground — a position
  10. cell — in biology
  11. ground — the earth
  12. scale — size or range
  13. firm — decided
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. club — for golf
  16. scale — in music
  17. foot — part of the body
  18. mate — to breed
  19. scale — for weighing
  20. temple — side of the head
  21. ground — crushed
  22. cell — in a prison
  23. foot — the bottom
  24. mate — a partner

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