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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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Word bank
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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. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  2. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  5. When was this ________________ built?
  6. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  7. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  8. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  9. The King held a masked ________________.
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  12. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  13. Have you found your soul ________________?
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  20. She's very handy with a ________________.
  21. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  22. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  23. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  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. ball — a round shape
  2. mate — a friend
  3. capital — money
  4. temple — side of the head
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. degree — an amount
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. fine — all right
  9. ball — a dance
  10. degree — from a university
  11. capital — a city
  12. capital — a big letter
  13. mate — a partner
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. saw — the tool
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. mine — for digging
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. mate — to breed
  20. saw — the tool
  21. fine — high quality
  22. fine — a penalty
  23. ball — a great time
  24. degree — temperature

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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