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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 ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  8. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  13. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  14. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  15. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  18. My mare is ________________ in color.
  19. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  20. When was this ________________ built?
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  23. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  24. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. degree — an amount
  3. land — to come down
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. degree — temperature
  6. degree — from a university
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. kick — with a leg
  9. land — ground
  10. kick — in football
  11. net — after costs
  12. perch — the fish
  13. bay — a part of the sea
  14. pass — to succeed
  15. kick — a thrill
  16. net — for catching
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. bay — a horse colour
  19. pass — a permit
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. land — a country
  22. temple — side of the head
  23. bay — to keep at bay
  24. pass — to spend time

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