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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.

Make a worksheet

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. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  2. We're almost out of ________________.
  3. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  6. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  7. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. When was this ________________ built?
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  13. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  16. My father caught me by the ________________.
  17. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  18. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  19. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. You don't need to ________________ round.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. pop — soda
  3. snap — to snap out of it
  4. season — in sport
  5. board — a flat piece
  6. snap — to click
  7. board — a committee
  8. sharp — clever
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. snap — to speak sharply
  13. pop — music
  14. degree — from a university
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. board — to get on
  18. temple — side of the head
  19. degree — an amount
  20. degree — temperature
  21. arm — a part of something
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. season — of the year
  24. pop — to visit

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