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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. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  6. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  7. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  11. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  12. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  19. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  20. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  21. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  22. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  23. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  24. When was this ________________ built?

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

Answer key

  1. temple — side of the head
  2. degree — an amount
  3. current — happening now
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. mark — a grade
  6. tear — from crying
  7. current — electric
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. degree — temperature
  10. club — for dancing
  11. mark — a trace
  12. club — for golf
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. spring — the season
  15. degree — from a university
  16. spring — of water
  17. spring — a coil
  18. mark — to pay attention
  19. club — a group
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. tear — to rip
  22. current — of water
  23. tear — from crying
  24. temple — a place of worship

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