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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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: field · cold · current · degree · temple · perch · deal · pop

  1. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  2. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  3. You don't need to ________________ round.
  4. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  8. When was this ________________ built?
  9. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  10. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. We're almost out of ________________.
  13. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  14. The water is too ________________.
  15. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  16. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  17. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  18. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  19. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — to handle
  2. cold — the Cold War
  3. pop — to visit
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. degree — from a university
  6. degree — temperature
  7. deal — a big deal
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. current — electric
  10. temple — side of the head
  11. field — for sport
  12. pop — soda
  13. current — happening now
  14. cold — not warm
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. cold — an illness
  17. current — of water
  18. deal — an agreement
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. degree — an amount
  21. pop — music
  22. field — farmland
  23. perch — the fish
  24. field — a subject

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