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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. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  2. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  5. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  6. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  7. Have you settled on a ________________?
  8. The light ________________ burned out.
  9. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  10. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. You don't need to ________________ round.
  13. I've got to change the light ________________.
  14. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  15. When was this ________________ built?
  16. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  19. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  20. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  21. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  22. We're almost out of ________________.
  23. There's no middle ________________.
  24. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. temple — side of the head
  3. degree — an amount
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. staff — employees
  6. date — the fruit
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. bulb — for light
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. bulb — of a plant
  11. ground — the earth
  12. pop — to visit
  13. bulb — for light
  14. squash — to crush
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. degree — from a university
  17. degree — temperature
  18. staff — a stick
  19. squash — the sport
  20. pop — music
  21. ground — crushed
  22. pop — soda
  23. ground — a position
  24. squash — the vegetable

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