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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: mate · race · pop · rest · degree · temple

  1. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  2. When was this ________________ built?
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  5. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  6. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  7. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  8. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  9. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  10. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  11. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  12. We're almost out of ________________.
  13. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  14. You don't need to ________________ round.
  15. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  16. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. degree — an amount
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. race — a contest
  6. race — humankind
  7. race — the arms race
  8. rest — a break
  9. mate — to breed
  10. temple — side of the head
  11. pop — music
  12. pop — soda
  13. rest — what's left
  14. pop — to visit
  15. degree — temperature
  16. mate — a friend
  17. degree — from a university
  18. mate — a partner

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