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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. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  4. My father caught me by the ________________.
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  12. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  13. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  14. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  15. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  16. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  17. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  18. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  19. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  20. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  21. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  22. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  23. That must've been a ________________.
  24. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. rush — hurry
  3. fine — high quality
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. degree — an amount
  6. band — a ring
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. stock — shares
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. degree — temperature
  11. fine — a penalty
  12. stock — goods
  13. current — happening now
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. current — of water
  16. current — electric
  17. band — a music group
  18. temple — side of the head
  19. rush — to hurry
  20. arm — a part of something
  21. fine — all right
  22. stock — a soup base
  23. rush — a thrill
  24. degree — from a university

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