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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. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  2. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  7. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  8. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  9. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  10. When was this ________________ built?
  11. The ________________ took off on time.
  12. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  13. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  14. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  15. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  16. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  17. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  20. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  21. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  22. Have you found your soul ________________?
  23. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  24. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — an amount
  2. temple — side of the head
  3. spring — of water
  4. mouse — for a computer
  5. spring — the season
  6. present — the time now
  7. present — there
  8. mate — a friend
  9. plane — a tool
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. plane — an aircraft
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. mate — to breed
  15. present — a gift
  16. degree — temperature
  17. drill — army training
  18. spring — a coil
  19. drill — a practice
  20. degree — from a university
  21. drill — the tool
  22. mate — a partner
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. plane — in geometry

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