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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. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  5. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  6. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  11. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  12. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  15. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  21. Have you found your soul ________________?
  22. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  23. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  24. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. mate — a friend
  4. deal — to handle
  5. deal — a big deal
  6. temple — side of the head
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. degree — an amount
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. vault — an arched ceiling
  11. vault — in gymnastics
  12. mate — to breed
  13. degree — from a university
  14. deal — an agreement
  15. vault — a safe
  16. wound — an injury
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. hand — in cards
  19. hand — help
  20. wound — an injury
  21. mate — a partner
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. safe — a strongbox
  24. degree — temperature

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