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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. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  2. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  4. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  8. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  9. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. My mare is ________________ in color.
  13. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. When was this ________________ built?
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  20. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  21. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  22. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  23. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  24. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. degree — temperature
  3. bank — for money
  4. bank — for money
  5. snap — to click
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. bay — to keep at bay
  8. snap — to speak sharply
  9. row — a line
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. degree — from a university
  12. bay — a horse colour
  13. temple — side of the head
  14. row — to paddle
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. degree — an amount
  17. bay — a part of the sea
  18. sharp — clever
  19. row — a quarrel
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. ruler — a monarch
  23. snap — to snap out of it
  24. bank — of a river

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