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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. When was this ________________ built?
  2. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  10. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  11. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  14. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  15. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  16. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  17. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  22. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  23. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. firm — steady
  3. shower — to wash
  4. leaves — of a tree
  5. court — for sport
  6. court — of law
  7. stem — a stem cell
  8. degree — temperature
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. ruler — a monarch
  11. firm — a company
  12. degree — an amount
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. stem — to come from
  16. degree — from a university
  17. temple — side of the head
  18. court — of a king
  19. leaves — lets stay
  20. shower — rain
  21. stem — of a plant
  22. leaves — to go away
  23. firm — decided
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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