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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. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  2. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  6. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  9. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  10. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  11. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  12. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  13. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  18. I've got to change the light ________________.
  19. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. The light ________________ burned out.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. When was this ________________ built?
  24. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. mate — a partner
  3. bulb — of a plant
  4. degree — temperature
  5. chest — a box
  6. club — for dancing
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. chest — of your body
  9. club — for golf
  10. track — to keep track
  11. track — a path
  12. club — a group
  13. temple — side of the head
  14. degree — an amount
  15. mate — to breed
  16. track — a song
  17. mate — a friend
  18. bulb — for light
  19. chest — of your body
  20. rash — hasty
  21. bulb — for light
  22. rash — a series
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. temple — a place of worship

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