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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. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  2. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  4. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  7. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  8. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  11. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  12. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. The tickets are free of ________________.
  15. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  16. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  17. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  18. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  19. When was this ________________ built?
  20. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  21. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  24. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — an amount
  2. degree — temperature
  3. fine — all right
  4. lash — to lash out
  5. mine — for digging
  6. toast — bread
  7. toast — a drink to someone
  8. temple — side of the head
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. charge — electricity
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. toast — the most admired
  13. row — to paddle
  14. charge — a price
  15. degree — from a university
  16. lash — an eyelash
  17. lash — a whip stroke
  18. row — a line
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. row — a quarrel
  21. charge — in control
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. fine — a penalty
  24. fine — high quality

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