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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 120 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: rash · ball · bulb · degree · straw · game · temple · kid

  1. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  2. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. The light ________________ burned out.
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  7. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  8. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  9. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  12. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  13. When was this ________________ built?
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. The King held a masked ________________.
  23. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  24. I've got to change the light ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — a series
  2. rash — hasty
  3. bulb — for light
  4. game — a match
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. kid — to tease
  8. straw — dry grass
  9. ball — a round shape
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. bulb — of a plant
  12. kid — child
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. degree — from a university
  15. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. straw — a straw man
  18. degree — an amount
  19. game — wild animals
  20. temple — side of the head
  21. degree — temperature
  22. ball — a dance
  23. ball — a great time
  24. bulb — for light

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