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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
468
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: temple · march · ball · root · degree · rest · coach · foot

  1. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  2. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  3. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  4. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  7. The King held a masked ________________.
  8. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  9. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  10. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  11. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  16. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  17. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  20. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. Have you met the new head ________________?
  23. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  24. When was this ________________ built?

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

Answer key

  1. degree — an amount
  2. foot — the bottom
  3. ball — a great time
  4. foot — part of the body
  5. march — the month
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. ball — a dance
  8. root — of a word
  9. rest — what's left
  10. rest — what's left
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. degree — temperature
  13. rest — a break
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. temple — side of the head
  16. foot — a measure
  17. root — the cause
  18. march — music
  19. root — of a plant
  20. coach — pulled by horses
  21. march — the month
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. degree — from a university
  24. temple — a place of worship

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