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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. When was this ________________ built?
  2. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  18. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. temple — side of the head
  3. shower — rain
  4. content — happy
  5. shower — to wash
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. bound — tied together
  9. shower — a meteor shower
  10. degree — from a university
  11. bound — obliged
  12. cap — a hat
  13. degree — temperature
  14. content — the amount
  15. bound — certain
  16. degree — an amount
  17. cap — of ice
  18. cap — a lid

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