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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. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  6. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  10. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  11. When will it ________________ you to start?
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. I can't ________________ this cold.
  14. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  15. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  18. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  19. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  20. Did you ________________ the button?
  21. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  24. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.

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 — temperature
  3. stand — on your feet
  4. degree — from a university
  5. shower — a meteor shower
  6. tear — from crying
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. wound — an injury
  9. shower — rain
  10. tear — from crying
  11. suit — to fit
  12. shower — to wash
  13. stand — to bear
  14. stand — for spectators
  15. press — a publisher
  16. degree — an amount
  17. suit — clothes
  18. temple — side of the head
  19. suit — in cards
  20. press — to push
  21. press — newspapers
  22. wound — an injury
  23. tear — to rip
  24. temple — a place of worship

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