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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.

Make a worksheet

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
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Word bank
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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. When was this ________________ built?
  2. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  12. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  13. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  14. The King held a masked ________________.
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  17. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  20. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  24. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.

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 — an amount
  3. last — finally
  4. last — final
  5. last — to go on
  6. ball — a great time
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. craft — a skill
  10. spell — magic
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. ball — a dance
  15. spell — a short time
  16. temple — side of the head
  17. craft — a handicraft
  18. spell — letters
  19. ball — a round shape
  20. degree — from a university
  21. degree — temperature
  22. wax — to grow
  23. craft — boats
  24. racket — a loud noise

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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