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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. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  3. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  6. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  7. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. When was this ________________ built?
  10. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  11. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  12. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  13. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  14. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  17. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  18. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  19. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  20. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  23. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  24. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. kick — a thrill
  3. foot — the bottom
  4. bound — obliged
  5. capital — money
  6. stem — of a plant
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. capital — a city
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. capital — a big letter
  11. foot — part of the body
  12. stem — a stem cell
  13. kick — with a leg
  14. kick — in football
  15. bound — certain
  16. foot — a measure
  17. stem — to come from
  18. temple — side of the head
  19. degree — an amount
  20. degree — from a university
  21. bound — tied together
  22. fall — to drop
  23. fall — to drop
  24. fall — the season

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