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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. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  2. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  3. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  4. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  5. The water is too ________________.
  6. When was this ________________ built?
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  10. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  11. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  12. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  13. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  14. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  15. How do you ________________ your surname?
  16. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  17. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  19. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  20. When will it ________________ you to start?
  21. The tickets are free of ________________.
  22. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  23. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  24. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — an illness
  2. suit — in cards
  3. ruler — a monarch
  4. ruler — for measuring
  5. cold — not warm
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. spell — magic
  8. degree — an amount
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. charge — in control
  11. cold — the Cold War
  12. suit — clothes
  13. chest — of your body
  14. charge — electricity
  15. spell — letters
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. temple — side of the head
  18. spell — a short time
  19. chest — a box
  20. suit — to fit
  21. charge — a price
  22. degree — from a university
  23. chest — of your body
  24. degree — temperature

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