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

Word bank: lash · capital · stick · temple · object · ground · pass · degree

  1. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  2. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  3. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  4. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  5. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  6. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  7. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  8. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  9. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  10. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  13. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  16. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  17. When was this ________________ built?
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  21. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  22. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  23. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  24. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?

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

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. lash — a whip stroke
  3. object — a thing
  4. object — to protest
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. pass — to spend time
  7. temple — side of the head
  8. lash — an eyelash
  9. lash — to lash out
  10. pass — to succeed
  11. degree — temperature
  12. pass — a permit
  13. object — an aim
  14. degree — from a university
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. capital — money
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. ground — the earth
  19. ground — a position
  20. capital — a big letter
  21. stick — to attach or keep to
  22. capital — a city
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. degree — an amount

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