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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. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  2. That was a fun ________________.
  3. That must've been a ________________.
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  7. The ________________ market has crashed.
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  12. When was this ________________ built?
  13. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  14. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  15. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  16. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  17. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  22. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  24. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!

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

Answer key

  1. temple — side of the head
  2. game — a match
  3. rush — a thrill
  4. rush — hurry
  5. degree — from a university
  6. bass — the fish
  7. stock — shares
  8. degree — an amount
  9. stock — goods
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. band — a rubber band
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. band — a ring
  14. bass — the instrument
  15. bear — the animal
  16. bear — the animal
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. bass — low music
  20. degree — temperature
  21. band — a music group
  22. rush — to hurry
  23. game — wild animals
  24. bear — to put up with

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