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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. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  3. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  4. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  5. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  6. When was this ________________ built?
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  10. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  11. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  12. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  15. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  16. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  17. The King held a masked ________________.
  18. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  19. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  20. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  21. We're on a ________________ here.
  22. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  23. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  24. There's no middle ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. ball — a round shape
  3. ball — a great time
  4. foot — the bottom
  5. tear — to rip
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. degree — an amount
  8. tear — from crying
  9. foot — part of the body
  10. hide — animal skin
  11. tear — from crying
  12. roll — a list
  13. degree — temperature
  14. ground — crushed
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. temple — side of the head
  17. ball — a dance
  18. foot — a measure
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. ground — the earth
  21. roll — on a roll
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. roll — a cake
  24. ground — a position

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