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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. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  2. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  3. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  4. You don't need to ________________ round.
  5. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  6. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  7. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  8. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  9. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  10. When was this ________________ built?
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  17. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  18. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  19. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  20. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  21. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  22. We're almost out of ________________.
  23. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — side of the head
  2. object — to protest
  3. bowl — to roll
  4. pop — to visit
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. drill — a practice
  7. safe — a strongbox
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. degree — from a university
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. degree — temperature
  12. march — the month
  13. drill — the tool
  14. march — music
  15. degree — an amount
  16. object — a thing
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. object — an aim
  19. bowl — a dish
  20. drill — army training
  21. pop — music
  22. pop — soda
  23. bowl — a football final
  24. march — the month

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