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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. David sat on the ________________.
  3. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  4. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. When was this ________________ built?
  12. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  13. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  14. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  15. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  16. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  19. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  22. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.

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

Answer key

  1. object — a thing
  2. swing — to play on
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. swing — music
  5. spell — magic
  6. lie — to recline
  7. degree — an amount
  8. temple — side of the head
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. degree — from a university
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. fan — to cool the air
  13. object — an aim
  14. bear — the animal
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. bear — to put up with
  17. degree — temperature
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. bear — the animal
  20. spell — a short time
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. object — to protest
  23. spell — letters
  24. swing — in golf

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