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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. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  4. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. When was this ________________ built?
  7. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  8. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  9. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  10. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  11. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  12. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  13. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  14. What do you think of the new ________________?
  15. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  18. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  21. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  22. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. season — of the year
  3. hide — animal skin
  4. cue — a hint
  5. degree — an amount
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. chip — in a computer
  8. bowl — a dish
  9. cabinet — a cupboard
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. chip — to eat
  12. chip — for betting
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. cue — a signal
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. temple — side of the head
  19. degree — from a university
  20. bowl — to roll
  21. cue — for pool
  22. bowl — a football final
  23. degree — temperature
  24. season — in sport

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