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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 ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  3. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  4. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  5. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  6. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  7. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  8. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  9. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  10. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  13. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  14. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  15. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  16. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  17. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  19. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  20. When was this ________________ built?
  21. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  22. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  23. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. ruler — for measuring
  3. leaves — of a tree
  4. ruler — a monarch
  5. leaves — to go away
  6. pass — to succeed
  7. temple — side of the head
  8. pass — a permit
  9. staff — employees
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. pitch — a sales talk
  13. pass — to spend time
  14. pitch — a sports field
  15. degree — temperature
  16. staff — employees
  17. pitch — completely
  18. degree — an amount
  19. staff — a stick
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. leaves — lets stay
  22. degree — from a university
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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