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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. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  2. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  3. The tickets are free of ________________.
  4. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  5. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  6. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  7. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  8. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  9. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  10. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  11. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  12. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  15. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  16. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  17. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  18. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  19. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  20. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  21. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  22. When was this ________________ built?
  23. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  24. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. mark — a grade
  3. charge — a price
  4. wave — a sudden rise
  5. fork — a garden tool
  6. mark — to pay attention
  7. chest — of your body
  8. fork — in a road
  9. charge — in control
  10. wave — of the sea
  11. temple — side of the head
  12. cap — of ice
  13. degree — from a university
  14. cap — a lid
  15. charge — electricity
  16. chest — of your body
  17. wave — with your hand
  18. cap — a hat
  19. degree — temperature
  20. fork — to eat with
  21. chest — a box
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. degree — an amount
  24. mark — a trace

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