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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: rock · hand · degree · temple · lie · last · jam · toast

  1. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  3. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  4. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  9. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  10. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  11. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  12. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  13. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  17. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  18. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  23. When was this ________________ built?
  24. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. toast — the most admired
  3. jam — to spread on bread
  4. rock — music
  5. degree — from a university
  6. degree — an amount
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. lie — to recline
  10. temple — side of the head
  11. rock — a stone
  12. toast — bread
  13. jam — a tight spot
  14. hand — in cards
  15. last — finally
  16. degree — temperature
  17. jam — in traffic
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. last — to go on
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. hand — help
  22. rock — to move gently
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. toast — a drink to someone

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