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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. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  2. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  3. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  4. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  5. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  6. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  7. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  8. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  9. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  10. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  11. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. When was this ________________ built?
  17. Have you found your soul ________________?
  18. We're on a ________________ here.
  19. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  22. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  23. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — to breed
  2. pound — for dogs
  3. roll — a cake
  4. temple — side of the head
  5. bowl — to roll
  6. roll — a list
  7. mate — a friend
  8. pound — to hit hard
  9. bowl — a dish
  10. trunk — of an elephant
  11. pound — a weight
  12. degree — from a university
  13. rash — hasty
  14. rash — a series
  15. degree — an amount
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. mate — a partner
  18. roll — on a roll
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. degree — temperature
  21. trunk — of a tree
  22. bowl — a football final
  23. trunk — of a car
  24. rash — on the skin

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