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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: cap · temple · hide · snap · rule · band · ball · ground

  1. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  2. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  4. The King held a masked ________________.
  5. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  6. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  7. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  8. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  9. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  10. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  13. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  14. When was this ________________ built?
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  19. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  20. There's no middle ________________.
  21. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  22. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  23. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  24. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. band — a ring
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. ball — a dance
  5. ground — the earth
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. cap — a hat
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. rule — a law
  10. ball — a round shape
  11. band — a music group
  12. cap — a lid
  13. snap — to snap out of it
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. hide — animal skin
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. ground — crushed
  19. cap — of ice
  20. ground — a position
  21. ball — a great time
  22. rule — government
  23. temple — side of the head
  24. rule — to rule out

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