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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. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  3. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  4. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  5. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  6. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  7. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  8. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  9. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  10. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  11. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  12. You don't need to ________________ round.
  13. My mare is ________________ in color.
  14. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  15. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  16. When was this ________________ built?
  17. We're almost out of ________________.
  18. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  19. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  20. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  21. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  22. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  23. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  24. She got the top ________________ in the exam.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. bay — to keep at bay
  3. cap — of ice
  4. pit — a fruit stone
  5. tear — to rip
  6. pit — a hole
  7. mark — a trace
  8. cap — a lid
  9. bay — a part of the sea
  10. pop — music
  11. mark — to pay attention
  12. pop — to visit
  13. bay — a horse colour
  14. temple — side of the head
  15. degree — temperature
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. pop — soda
  18. tear — from crying
  19. degree — an amount
  20. tear — from crying
  21. cap — a hat
  22. pit — in a race
  23. degree — from a university
  24. mark — a grade

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