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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. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  2. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  3. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  10. When was this ________________ built?
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  14. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  17. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  20. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  21. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  22. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. ________________ games are popular in Germany.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — an amount
  2. temple — side of the head
  3. board — to get on
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. season — in sport
  6. can — to be able to
  7. season — of the year
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. degree — from a university
  12. spring — the season
  13. can — a tin
  14. jam — a tight spot
  15. band — a music group
  16. degree — temperature
  17. jam — in traffic
  18. spring — a coil
  19. jam — to spread on bread
  20. band — a ring
  21. can — a tin
  22. board — a committee
  23. spring — of water
  24. board — a flat piece

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