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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. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  3. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  4. Have you met the new head ________________?
  5. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. When was this ________________ built?
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  12. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  13. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  14. I can't ________________ this cold.
  15. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  16. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  17. We're on a ________________ here.
  18. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  22. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  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. degree — temperature
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. rash — a series
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. present — there
  6. rash — hasty
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. degree — an amount
  9. coach — pulled by horses
  10. spring — a coil
  11. present — a gift
  12. stand — on your feet
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. stand — to bear
  15. stand — for spectators
  16. present — the time now
  17. roll — on a roll
  18. roll — a cake
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. spring — of water
  21. temple — side of the head
  22. roll — a list
  23. spring — the season
  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