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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 120 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. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  2. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  3. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  4. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  5. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  6. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  7. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  8. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  9. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  10. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  11. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  16. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  17. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  21. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  22. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  23. When was this ________________ built?
  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. mate — to breed
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. tear — from crying
  4. board — a committee
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. board — to get on
  8. mate — a friend
  9. pit — a fruit stone
  10. board — a flat piece
  11. pit — in a race
  12. mate — a partner
  13. temple — side of the head
  14. track — a song
  15. tear — to rip
  16. pit — a hole
  17. racket — a loud noise
  18. track — a path
  19. degree — from a university
  20. track — to keep track
  21. tear — from crying
  22. degree — an amount
  23. temple — a place of worship
  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