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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. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  2. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  3. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  4. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  5. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  6. When was this ________________ built?
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. David sat on the ________________.
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  13. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. How do you ________________ your surname?
  16. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  17. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  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. temple — a place of worship
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. spell — a short time
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. swing — in golf
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. degree — temperature
  10. swing — to play on
  11. degree — from a university
  12. temple — side of the head
  13. hide — animal skin
  14. spell — magic
  15. spell — letters
  16. fan — to cool the air
  17. swing — music
  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