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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. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  2. The tickets are free of ________________.
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  5. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  6. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  7. When was this ________________ built?
  8. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  9. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  12. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  15. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  16. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  17. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  18. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  19. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  20. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  21. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  22. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — side of the head
  2. charge — a price
  3. degree — an amount
  4. snap — to click
  5. trunk — of a tree
  6. bowl — to roll
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. bowl — a dish
  10. degree — from a university
  11. drill — army training
  12. snap — to snap out of it
  13. drill — the tool
  14. trunk — of a car
  15. bowl — a football final
  16. charge — in control
  17. charge — electricity
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. snap — to speak sharply
  20. drill — a practice
  21. trunk — of an elephant
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. degree — temperature
  24. racket — a loud noise

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