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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: spell · temple · rule · degree · root · bass · field · mouse

  1. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  2. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  6. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  7. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  10. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  15. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  16. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  19. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  23. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  24. When was this ________________ built?

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. degree — an amount
  3. rule — government
  4. field — a subject
  5. spell — a short time
  6. mouse — for a computer
  7. temple — side of the head
  8. field — farmland
  9. root — of a word
  10. rule — to rule out
  11. spell — letters
  12. rule — a law
  13. field — for sport
  14. bass — the instrument
  15. degree — from a university
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. bass — the fish
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. root — the cause
  20. degree — temperature
  21. spell — magic
  22. root — of a plant
  23. bass — low music
  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