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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: cap · game · rest · lash · temple · firm · spell · degree

  1. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  2. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  3. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  9. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  10. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  14. When was this ________________ built?
  15. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  16. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  17. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  18. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  19. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  20. How do you ________________ your surname?
  21. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  22. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  24. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. spell — magic
  4. game — wild animals
  5. rest — what's left
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. degree — temperature
  8. lash — an eyelash
  9. rest — what's left
  10. firm — decided
  11. degree — an amount
  12. game — a match
  13. cap — a hat
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. firm — steady
  16. rest — a break
  17. firm — a company
  18. lash — a whip stroke
  19. cap — of ice
  20. spell — letters
  21. lash — to lash out
  22. cap — a lid
  23. spell — a short time
  24. temple — side of the head

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