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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: arm · rock · capital · degree · temple · toast · foot · land

  1. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  2. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  3. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  4. When was this ________________ built?
  5. My father caught me by the ________________.
  6. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  7. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  10. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  11. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  14. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  15. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  16. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  17. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  18. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  19. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  20. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  24. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — an amount
  2. rock — a stone
  3. foot — a measure
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. rock — music
  7. capital — a big letter
  8. capital — money
  9. degree — from a university
  10. foot — part of the body
  11. toast — a drink to someone
  12. land — to come down
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. degree — temperature
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. capital — a city
  17. toast — bread
  18. temple — side of the head
  19. foot — the bottom
  20. arm — a part of something
  21. land — ground
  22. land — a country
  23. rock — to move gently
  24. toast — the most admired

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