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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. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  2. We're on a ________________ here.
  3. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  4. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  5. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  6. When was this ________________ built?
  7. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  8. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  9. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  10. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  11. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  12. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  13. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  14. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  15. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  16. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  17. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  20. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  21. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  22. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  23. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  24. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — an amount
  2. roll — on a roll
  3. lie — to recline
  4. leaves — to go away
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. board — a flat piece
  9. roll — a cake
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. leaves — lets stay
  12. race — a contest
  13. race — humankind
  14. shower — a meteor shower
  15. shower — rain
  16. board — to get on
  17. roll — a list
  18. shower — to wash
  19. board — a committee
  20. leaves — of a tree
  21. degree — from a university
  22. race — the arms race
  23. temple — side of the head
  24. degree — temperature

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