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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: degree · pitcher · drill · temple · swing · lash · date · last

  1. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  3. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  6. Have you settled on a ________________?
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. David sat on the ________________.
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  15. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  16. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  19. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  22. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  23. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  24. When was this ________________ built?

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. swing — in golf
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. last — final
  8. swing — to play on
  9. last — finally
  10. lash — to lash out
  11. last — to go on
  12. degree — an amount
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. temple — side of the head
  15. drill — army training
  16. lash — a whip stroke
  17. degree — temperature
  18. swing — music
  19. date — the fruit
  20. drill — the tool
  21. drill — a practice
  22. degree — from a university
  23. lash — an eyelash
  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