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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 trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  2. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  7. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  8. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  13. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  16. When was this ________________ built?
  17. This piece is in a major ________________.
  18. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  19. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  20. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  21. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  22. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  23. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — side of the head
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. degree — an amount
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. last — to go on
  6. bat — for baseball
  7. race — the arms race
  8. key — the most important part
  9. court — for sport
  10. race — a contest
  11. degree — from a university
  12. calf — of the leg
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. court — of a king
  15. degree — temperature
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. key — in music
  18. key — for a lock
  19. race — humankind
  20. bat — in an idiom
  21. last — final
  22. bat — the animal
  23. court — of law
  24. last — finally

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