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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. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  3. When was this ________________ built?
  4. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  5. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  6. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  7. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  11. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  12. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  16. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  17. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  20. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  21. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  24. The ________________ took off on time.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. trunk — of a car
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. rock — a stone
  5. rock — to move gently
  6. temple — side of the head
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. degree — temperature
  9. field — farmland
  10. rest — a break
  11. rest — what's left
  12. staff — employees
  13. field — for sport
  14. degree — an amount
  15. staff — a stick
  16. plane — a tool
  17. plane — in geometry
  18. field — a subject
  19. trunk — of an elephant
  20. rest — what's left
  21. degree — from a university
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. staff — employees
  24. plane — an aircraft

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