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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. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  2. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  3. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  4. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  8. When was this ________________ built?
  9. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  13. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  14. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  15. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  16. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  17. The ________________ took off on time.
  18. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  19. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  20. How do you ________________ your surname?
  21. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  22. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  23. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. wake — a trail
  3. pass — to succeed
  4. wake — to stop sleeping
  5. degree — from a university
  6. degree — temperature
  7. pass — a permit
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. plane — in geometry
  10. spell — a short time
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. bore — to tire
  13. plane — a tool
  14. bore — to drill
  15. pass — to spend time
  16. temple — side of the head
  17. plane — an aircraft
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. fan — to cool the air
  20. spell — letters
  21. degree — an amount
  22. wake — before a funeral
  23. bore — gave birth
  24. spell — magic

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