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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 120 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. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  2. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  12. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  13. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  14. When was this ________________ built?
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — side of the head
  2. track — a song
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. track — a path
  5. bore — gave birth
  6. rash — a series
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. degree — an amount
  9. bore — to tire
  10. degree — from a university
  11. track — to keep track
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. bore — to drill
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. degree — temperature
  17. rash — hasty
  18. mine — for digging

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