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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: degree · lash · temple · bound · chip · content · board · roll

  1. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  2. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  4. When was this ________________ built?
  5. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  6. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  7. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  8. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  9. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  10. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  11. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  12. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  13. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  16. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  17. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  21. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  22. That was ________________ to happen.
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. We're on a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a cake
  2. degree — an amount
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. temple — side of the head
  6. content — the amount
  7. lash — a whip stroke
  8. content — videos and posts
  9. content — happy
  10. chip — to eat
  11. lash — to lash out
  12. board — to get on
  13. chip — for betting
  14. bound — tied together
  15. board — a flat piece
  16. chip — in a computer
  17. lash — an eyelash
  18. degree — from a university
  19. bound — obliged
  20. board — a committee
  21. roll — a list
  22. bound — certain
  23. degree — temperature
  24. roll — on a roll

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