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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. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  2. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  3. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  4. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  5. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  6. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  7. When was this ________________ built?
  8. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  9. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  14. Where did you ________________ them?
  15. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  16. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  17. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  18. The King held a masked ________________.
  19. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  20. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  21. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  22. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  23. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  24. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. ball — a great time
  3. tear — to rip
  4. mark — to pay attention
  5. pass — a permit
  6. mug — a face
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. cap — of ice
  9. cap — a lid
  10. degree — temperature
  11. tear — from crying
  12. degree — from a university
  13. mug — a cup
  14. mug — to rob
  15. temple — side of the head
  16. pass — to spend time
  17. cap — a hat
  18. ball — a dance
  19. mark — a grade
  20. mark — a trace
  21. degree — an amount
  22. tear — from crying
  23. ball — a round shape
  24. pass — to succeed

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