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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. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  4. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. I can't ________________ this cold.
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  9. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  10. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  11. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  12. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  15. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  16. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  17. When was this ________________ built?
  18. This piece is in a major ________________.
  19. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  20. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  24. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. net — for catching
  3. cap — a lid
  4. leaves — lets stay
  5. degree — an amount
  6. stand — to bear
  7. degree — temperature
  8. cap — of ice
  9. temple — side of the head
  10. leaves — to go away
  11. key — the most important part
  12. stand — on your feet
  13. degree — from a university
  14. key — for a lock
  15. stand — for spectators
  16. leaves — of a tree
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. key — in music
  19. chair — a professorship
  20. cap — a hat
  21. net — in sport
  22. net — after costs
  23. chair — a leader
  24. chair — to sit on

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