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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 university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  2. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  5. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  6. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. When was this ________________ built?
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  13. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  17. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  18. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  19. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  22. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  23. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  24. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. temple — side of the head
  3. saw — the tool
  4. content — videos and posts
  5. shower — a meteor shower
  6. degree — an amount
  7. bound — obliged
  8. degree — temperature
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. shower — rain
  12. bear — to put up with
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. bound — certain
  15. saw — the tool
  16. bear — the animal
  17. content — happy
  18. cap — a hat
  19. bear — the animal
  20. shower — to wash
  21. content — the amount
  22. cap — of ice
  23. cap — a lid
  24. bound — tied together

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