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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. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  6. When was this ________________ built?
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  11. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  12. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  13. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  14. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. How do you ________________ your surname?
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  20. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  21. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  24. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. temple — side of the head
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. court — for sport
  5. court — of a king
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. prune — to trim
  8. degree — temperature
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. fan — to cool the air
  11. pass — to spend time
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. pass — to succeed
  14. spell — a short time
  15. spell — magic
  16. court — of law
  17. spell — letters
  18. sharp — clever
  19. pass — a permit
  20. prune — the fruit
  21. degree — an amount
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. degree — from a university
  24. prune — to trim

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