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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. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. When was this ________________ built?
  4. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  5. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  6. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  7. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  10. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  11. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  14. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  18. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  19. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  20. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  21. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  22. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  23. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  24. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — with a leg
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. toast — bread
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. pass — to succeed
  7. pass — a permit
  8. game — a match
  9. cap — a hat
  10. toast — a drink to someone
  11. dip — to dunk
  12. degree — temperature
  13. temple — side of the head
  14. dip — a sauce
  15. game — wild animals
  16. degree — an amount
  17. pass — to spend time
  18. toast — the most admired
  19. cap — a lid
  20. kick — a thrill
  21. dip — to sink
  22. degree — from a university
  23. cap — of ice
  24. kick — in football

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