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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. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  2. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  5. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  6. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  9. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  14. When was this ________________ built?
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  17. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — the tool
  2. temple — side of the head
  3. degree — an amount
  4. drill — a practice
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. drill — army training
  7. rash — hasty
  8. jam — a tight spot
  9. track — a song
  10. degree — from a university
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. degree — temperature
  13. jam — in traffic
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. rash — a series
  16. track — a path
  17. jam — to spread on bread
  18. track — to keep track

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