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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. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  2. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  3. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  4. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  7. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  10. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  13. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  14. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  17. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  18. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  19. When was this ________________ built?
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  24. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — in football
  2. board — to get on
  3. kick — with a leg
  4. degree — an amount
  5. degree — from a university
  6. deal — to handle
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. last — finally
  9. temple — side of the head
  10. foot — the bottom
  11. degree — temperature
  12. drill — army training
  13. foot — part of the body
  14. kick — a thrill
  15. last — final
  16. foot — a measure
  17. board — a committee
  18. board — a flat piece
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. drill — the tool
  21. deal — an agreement
  22. last — to go on
  23. drill — a practice
  24. deal — a big deal

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