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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 ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  3. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. When was this ________________ built?
  6. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. David sat on the ________________.
  10. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  11. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  19. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  22. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  24. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. temple — side of the head
  3. degree — temperature
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. court — for sport
  8. court — of a king
  9. swing — to play on
  10. mark — a trace
  11. chip — for betting
  12. degree — an amount
  13. swing — music
  14. sharp — clever
  15. chip — in a computer
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. shower — rain
  18. chip — to eat
  19. mark — to pay attention
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. mark — a grade
  22. degree — from a university
  23. shower — to wash
  24. swing — in golf

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