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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. The ball is in your ________________.
  2. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. This piece is in a major ________________.
  4. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  10. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  11. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  14. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  18. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  23. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  24. When was this ________________ built?

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. face — to confront
  3. key — in music
  4. key — the most important part
  5. file — a tool
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. degree — temperature
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. temple — side of the head
  11. file — a document
  12. sharp — clever
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. face — to point toward
  15. degree — an amount
  16. file — a line of people
  17. ruler — a monarch
  18. key — for a lock
  19. degree — from a university
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. court — of a king
  22. court — of law
  23. face — part of the head
  24. temple — a place of worship

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