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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. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  7. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. When was this ________________ built?
  10. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  11. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  12. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  13. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  14. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  17. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  18. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  23. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. degree — an amount
  3. degree — from a university
  4. craft — boats
  5. game — a match
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. mark — a grade
  8. file — a document
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. mark — to pay attention
  11. craft — a skill
  12. toast — the most admired
  13. toast — bread
  14. file — a tool
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. degree — temperature
  17. mark — a trace
  18. craft — a handicraft
  19. rash — hasty
  20. temple — side of the head
  21. rash — a series
  22. file — a line of people
  23. toast — a drink to someone
  24. game — a kind of play

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