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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. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  4. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  8. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. The light ________________ burned out.
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. When was this ________________ built?
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. I've got to change the light ________________.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  19. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  20. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  21. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  22. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  23. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  24. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. last — to go on
  3. object — to protest
  4. temple — side of the head
  5. last — finally
  6. last — final
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. trunk — of a tree
  9. rash — a series
  10. degree — an amount
  11. bulb — for light
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. rash — hasty
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. bulb — for light
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. squash — to crush
  19. object — an aim
  20. degree — from a university
  21. object — a thing
  22. squash — the vegetable
  23. squash — the sport
  24. bulb — of a plant

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