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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. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  3. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  10. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  14. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  15. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  16. When was this ________________ built?
  17. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  18. What do you think of the new ________________?
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  21. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  22. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. wound — past of 'wind'
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. squash — to crush
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. wound — an injury
  7. court — of law
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. squash — the vegetable
  10. temple — side of the head
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. wound — an injury
  13. squash — the sport
  14. cabinet — a cupboard
  15. bass — the instrument
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. degree — an amount
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. court — for sport
  20. degree — from a university
  21. bass — low music
  22. bass — the fish
  23. court — of a king
  24. cabinet — ministers

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