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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. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  2. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  4. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  5. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  6. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  7. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  8. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  9. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  10. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  11. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  12. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  13. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  14. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  15. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  16. When was this ________________ built?
  17. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  18. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  19. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  20. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  21. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  24. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. degree — an amount
  3. chest — of your body
  4. dip — to sink
  5. bear — to put up with
  6. firm — decided
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. dip — to dunk
  9. chest — a box
  10. bore — gave birth
  11. dip — a sauce
  12. firm — steady
  13. bore — to drill
  14. bear — the animal
  15. degree — from a university
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. chest — of your body
  18. can — to be able to
  19. temple — side of the head
  20. bore — to tire
  21. bear — the animal
  22. degree — temperature
  23. firm — a company
  24. can — a tin

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