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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. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  3. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  4. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  5. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. When was this ________________ built?
  15. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  20. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  21. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. I can't ________________ this cold.
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. dip — a sauce
  3. dip — to sink
  4. stand — for spectators
  5. temple — side of the head
  6. degree — from a university
  7. land — a country
  8. land — to come down
  9. capital — a big letter
  10. degree — an amount
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. last — finally
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. capital — money
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. capital — a city
  18. land — ground
  19. dip — to dunk
  20. stand — on your feet
  21. last — final
  22. mine — for digging
  23. stand — to bear
  24. last — to go on

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