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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 valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  4. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  7. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  8. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  9. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  12. When was this ________________ built?
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  21. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  22. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  23. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  24. The people resisted their cruel ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. object — a thing
  2. degree — from a university
  3. bank — for money
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. degree — temperature
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. bore — to tire
  9. bank — for money
  10. season — of the year
  11. object — to protest
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. degree — an amount
  14. object — an aim
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. bank — of a river
  17. file — a line of people
  18. season — in sport
  19. file — a tool
  20. bore — to drill
  21. temple — side of the head
  22. bore — gave birth
  23. file — a document
  24. ruler — a monarch

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