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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. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  2. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  3. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  4. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  5. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. The King held a masked ________________.
  8. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  9. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  10. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  11. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  12. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  15. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. Have you found your soul ________________?
  23. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  24. When was this ________________ built?

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

Answer key

  1. degree — an amount
  2. drill — a practice
  3. temple — side of the head
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. ball — a round shape
  6. degree — from a university
  7. ball — a dance
  8. ball — a great time
  9. prune — to trim
  10. leaves — to go away
  11. drill — the tool
  12. drill — army training
  13. degree — temperature
  14. leaves — lets stay
  15. land — a country
  16. land — ground
  17. land — to come down
  18. leaves — of a tree
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. mate — to breed
  21. prune — to trim
  22. mate — a partner
  23. mate — a friend
  24. temple — a place of worship

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