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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. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  2. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  3. When was this ________________ built?
  4. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  5. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  6. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  7. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  13. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?

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

Answer key

  1. band — a rubber band
  2. safe — a strongbox
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. leaves — of a tree
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. leaves — to go away
  8. degree — from a university
  9. degree — temperature
  10. leaves — lets stay
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. band — a ring
  14. sharp — clever
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. band — a music group
  17. temple — side of the head
  18. degree — an amount

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