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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. When was this ________________ built?
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  5. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  6. That must've been a ________________.
  7. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  8. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  9. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  10. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  11. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  12. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  15. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  16. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  17. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  19. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  22. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  23. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  24. There's no middle ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. land — a country
  3. land — ground
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. ground — the earth
  6. rush — a thrill
  7. degree — from a university
  8. rush — to hurry
  9. deal — an agreement
  10. vault — a safe
  11. ground — crushed
  12. lean — to bend
  13. land — to come down
  14. deal — to handle
  15. lean — to rest against
  16. rush — hurry
  17. lean — thin
  18. degree — temperature
  19. deal — a big deal
  20. degree — an amount
  21. vault — an arched ceiling
  22. temple — side of the head
  23. vault — in gymnastics
  24. ground — a position

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