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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. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. I've got to change the light ________________.
  4. My mare is ________________ in color.
  5. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  6. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  7. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  8. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  9. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  10. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  11. When was this ________________ built?
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  15. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  16. The light ________________ burned out.
  17. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  18. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  19. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  24. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. bulb — for light
  4. bay — a horse colour
  5. ruler — for measuring
  6. capital — a city
  7. ruler — a monarch
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. bark — to shout
  10. temple — side of the head
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. degree — from a university
  13. degree — an amount
  14. bark — of a tree
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. bulb — for light
  17. bay — to keep at bay
  18. capital — a big letter
  19. bark — a dog's sound
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. bulb — of a plant
  22. degree — temperature
  23. bay — a part of the sea
  24. capital — money

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