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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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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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. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  2. When was this ________________ built?
  3. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  4. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  5. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. The water is too ________________.
  10. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  14. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  15. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  16. Did you ________________ the button?
  17. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  18. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  19. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  20. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  21. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  22. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  23. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  24. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a football final
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. degree — temperature
  4. temple — side of the head
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. wake — a trail
  7. cold — an illness
  8. degree — from a university
  9. cold — not warm
  10. wake — before a funeral
  11. degree — an amount
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. stick — to attach or keep to
  16. press — to push
  17. mark — a trace
  18. bowl — a dish
  19. press — newspapers
  20. press — a publisher
  21. mark — a grade
  22. bowl — to roll
  23. mark — to pay attention
  24. cold — the Cold War

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