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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. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  2. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  3. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  4. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  5. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  8. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  9. David sat on the ________________.
  10. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  11. The ________________ went through the wall.
  12. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  19. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. When was this ________________ built?
  22. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  23. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  24. The ball is in your ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. hide — animal skin
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. swing — in golf
  5. court — of a king
  6. degree — temperature
  7. temple — side of the head
  8. pit — a hole
  9. swing — to play on
  10. pit — in a race
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. pit — a fruit stone
  13. court — of law
  14. swing — music
  15. march — music
  16. nail — on a finger
  17. march — the month
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. march — the month
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. degree — an amount
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. court — for sport

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