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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. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  5. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  6. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  7. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  11. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  12. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  13. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  14. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  15. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  16. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. When was this ________________ built?
  19. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  20. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  23. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  24. He has no idea where the ________________ is.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — side of the head
  2. degree — temperature
  3. clip — to cut
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. bear — the animal
  6. racket — a loud noise
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. track — to keep track
  9. clip — for paper
  10. bear — to put up with
  11. track — a path
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. root — the cause
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. root — of a plant
  17. degree — from a university
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. root — of a word
  20. track — a song
  21. clip — a video
  22. degree — an amount
  23. bear — the animal
  24. safe — a strongbox

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