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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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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: game · board · foot · degree · spring · temple · bulb · court

  1. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  2. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. I've got to change the light ________________.
  6. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. The light ________________ burned out.
  11. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  14. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  22. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  23. When was this ________________ built?
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — side of the head
  2. board — to get on
  3. court — for sport
  4. spring — a coil
  5. bulb — for light
  6. foot — part of the body
  7. degree — temperature
  8. board — a committee
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. bulb — for light
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. spring — of water
  13. foot — the bottom
  14. bulb — of a plant
  15. degree — an amount
  16. spring — the season
  17. court — of a king
  18. foot — a measure
  19. court — of law
  20. game — a match
  21. degree — from a university
  22. board — a flat piece
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. game — wild animals

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