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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. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. When was this ________________ built?
  3. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  6. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  7. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  11. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  12. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  15. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  19. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  20. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. David sat on the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. swing — in golf
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. rest — a break
  6. race — a contest
  7. rest — what's left
  8. degree — an amount
  9. rash — a series
  10. rest — what's left
  11. temple — side of the head
  12. race — the arms race
  13. degree — from a university
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. swing — music
  16. rash — hasty
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. capital — a city
  19. capital — money
  20. capital — a big letter
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. race — humankind
  23. mine — for digging
  24. swing — to play on

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