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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 120 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. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  2. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  4. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  12. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  13. When was this ________________ built?
  14. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. Have you found your soul ________________?
  18. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  19. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  20. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  21. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  22. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  23. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  24. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — a loud noise
  2. degree — temperature
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. mate — a friend
  5. degree — from a university
  6. mate — to breed
  7. temple — side of the head
  8. degree — an amount
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. fan — to cool the air
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. cap — a lid
  15. file — a tool
  16. clip — to cut
  17. mate — a partner
  18. cap — of ice
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. clip — a video
  21. file — a line of people
  22. file — a document
  23. cap — a hat
  24. clip — for paper

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