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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. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  2. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  5. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  9. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  10. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  15. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  20. When was this ________________ built?
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  24. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — army training
  2. pit — in a race
  3. degree — from a university
  4. drill — a practice
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. wound — an injury
  7. wound — an injury
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. pit — a hole
  10. drill — the tool
  11. degree — an amount
  12. staff — a stick
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. staff — employees
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. pit — a fruit stone
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. staff — employees
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. sharp — clever
  22. degree — temperature
  23. perch — the fish
  24. temple — side of the head

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