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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. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  3. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  4. When was this ________________ built?
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  7. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  8. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  9. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  10. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  14. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. My mare is ________________ in color.
  17. Where did you ________________ them?
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  22. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  23. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  24. We took cover from the thunder ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. mug — a cup
  3. capital — a big letter
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. degree — an amount
  6. mug — a face
  7. current — happening now
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. current — of water
  10. bay — a part of the sea
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. degree — from a university
  13. current — electric
  14. temple — side of the head
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. bay — a horse colour
  17. mug — to rob
  18. bat — the animal
  19. capital — money
  20. shower — to wash
  21. capital — a city
  22. bat — in an idiom
  23. bay — to keep at bay
  24. shower — rain

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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