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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: degree · cold · bat · snap · can · hide · mate · temple

  1. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  2. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. When was this ________________ built?
  6. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  10. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  11. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  12. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  19. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  20. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  21. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  22. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  23. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  24. The water is too ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — animal skin
  2. bat — the animal
  3. mate — to breed
  4. degree — temperature
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. mate — a partner
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. cold — the Cold War
  10. can — a tin
  11. temple — side of the head
  12. can — a tin
  13. mate — a friend
  14. cold — an illness
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. can — to be able to
  18. degree — an amount
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. snap — to click
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. degree — from a university
  23. snap — to snap out of it
  24. cold — not warm

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