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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. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  2. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  3. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  4. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  7. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  8. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  15. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  18. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  19. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  20. When was this ________________ built?
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  23. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  24. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. ruler — for measuring
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. branch — of a bank
  5. branch — a division
  6. rock — a stone
  7. rock — to move gently
  8. scale — for weighing
  9. court — of a king
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. pitch — a sports field
  12. degree — temperature
  13. court — of law
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. pitch — a sales talk
  16. degree — an amount
  17. rock — music
  18. scale — in music
  19. scale — size or range
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. court — for sport
  22. ruler — a monarch
  23. temple — side of the head
  24. pitch — completely

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