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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 ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  4. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  8. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  9. When was this ________________ built?
  10. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  11. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  12. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  16. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  17. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  18. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  23. The ball is in your ________________.
  24. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. court — of law
  3. bear — to put up with
  4. temple — side of the head
  5. degree — from a university
  6. court — of a king
  7. chip — in a computer
  8. bear — the animal
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. chest — of your body
  11. chip — for betting
  12. chest — a box
  13. drill — the tool
  14. spring — of water
  15. chip — to eat
  16. drill — a practice
  17. bear — the animal
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. spring — the season
  20. spring — a coil
  21. drill — army training
  22. degree — an amount
  23. court — for sport
  24. chest — of your body

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