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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. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  2. The King held a masked ________________.
  3. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  6. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  7. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  8. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  9. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  10. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  11. When was this ________________ built?
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  16. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  17. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  24. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. ball — a dance
  3. squash — to crush
  4. hand — help
  5. squash — the vegetable
  6. can — a tin
  7. ball — a round shape
  8. squash — the sport
  9. can — to be able to
  10. temple — side of the head
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. degree — temperature
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. ball — a great time
  16. scale — for weighing
  17. scale — in music
  18. degree — from a university
  19. hand — in cards
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. scale — size or range
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. degree — an amount
  24. can — a tin

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