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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. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  2. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  6. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  7. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  8. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  9. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  12. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  13. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  14. My mare is ________________ in color.
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  17. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  20. The ________________ went through the wall.
  21. When was this ________________ built?
  22. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  23. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  24. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. bay — a part of the sea
  3. season — of the year
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. dip — to sink
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. temple — side of the head
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. degree — temperature
  11. dip — a sauce
  12. safe — a strongbox
  13. drill — a practice
  14. bay — a horse colour
  15. degree — an amount
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. nail — on a finger
  18. season — in sport
  19. bay — to keep at bay
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. drill — army training
  23. dip — to dunk
  24. drill — the tool

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