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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. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. What do you think of the new ________________?
  4. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  7. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  8. The water is too ________________.
  9. When was this ________________ built?
  10. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  11. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  12. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  13. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  14. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  15. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  16. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  21. There's no middle ________________.
  22. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  23. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  24. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. lash — a whip stroke
  5. degree — from a university
  6. firm — steady
  7. temple — side of the head
  8. cold — not warm
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. firm — decided
  11. ground — crushed
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. lash — an eyelash
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. firm — a company
  16. cold — an illness
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. degree — an amount
  19. ground — the earth
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. ground — a position
  22. lash — to lash out
  23. cold — the Cold War
  24. cabinet — a cupboard

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