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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: staff · game · temple · drill · face · ground · degree · mark

  1. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  4. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  5. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  6. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  7. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  8. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  9. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. When was this ________________ built?
  12. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  13. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  16. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  22. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — the tool
  2. game — wild animals
  3. face — to point toward
  4. staff — employees
  5. mark — a grade
  6. degree — an amount
  7. degree — from a university
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. mark — a trace
  10. drill — a practice
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. staff — a stick
  13. ground — the earth
  14. drill — army training
  15. face — part of the head
  16. mark — to pay attention
  17. ground — crushed
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. ground — a position
  20. degree — temperature
  21. temple — side of the head
  22. face — to confront
  23. game — a match
  24. staff — employees

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