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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. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  2. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  3. We're almost out of ________________.
  4. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  5. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  8. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  9. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  10. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  11. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  12. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  15. When was this ________________ built?
  16. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  17. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  18. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  19. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  20. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  21. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  22. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  23. You don't need to ________________ round.
  24. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — an amount
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. pop — soda
  4. wave — a sudden rise
  5. toast — bread
  6. degree — from a university
  7. pit — a hole
  8. wave — with your hand
  9. race — humankind
  10. wave — of the sea
  11. pit — a fruit stone
  12. current — of water
  13. degree — temperature
  14. current — electric
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. current — happening now
  17. race — a contest
  18. pit — in a race
  19. toast — a drink to someone
  20. race — the arms race
  21. toast — the most admired
  22. temple — side of the head
  23. pop — to visit
  24. pop — music

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