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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 120 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. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  8. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  9. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. My mare is ________________ in color.
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  14. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  15. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  16. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  17. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  18. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  19. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  20. When will it ________________ you to start?
  21. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  22. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  23. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  24. When was this ________________ built?

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. degree — from a university
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. board — a committee
  5. degree — temperature
  6. tube — the underground
  7. suit — clothes
  8. bay — a part of the sea
  9. suit — in cards
  10. wind — moving air
  11. bay — a horse colour
  12. scale — in music
  13. temple — side of the head
  14. wind — moving air
  15. board — to get on
  16. tube — a container
  17. scale — size or range
  18. bay — to keep at bay
  19. wind — to turn a key
  20. suit — to fit
  21. degree — an amount
  22. scale — for weighing
  23. board — a flat piece
  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