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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. When was this ________________ built?
  2. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. The ________________ went through the wall.
  4. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  7. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  8. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  9. David sat on the ________________.
  10. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. My mare is ________________ in color.
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  19. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  20. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  21. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. degree — an amount
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. bay — a part of the sea
  5. hand — help
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. bat — in an idiom
  8. swing — in golf
  9. swing — to play on
  10. swing — music
  11. last — finally
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. degree — from a university
  14. last — final
  15. bay — a horse colour
  16. last — to go on
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. temple — side of the head
  19. degree — temperature
  20. nail — on a finger
  21. bay — to keep at bay
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. hand — in cards
  24. bat — the animal

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