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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
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: drill · temple · rash · bat · degree · calf · land · stand

  1. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  5. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  6. When was this ________________ built?
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  11. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  12. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  13. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  14. I can't ________________ this cold.
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  17. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  18. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  19. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  20. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  24. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. degree — temperature
  3. degree — from a university
  4. degree — an amount
  5. drill — the tool
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. rash — a series
  8. land — ground
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. calf — of the leg
  11. drill — a practice
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. stand — to bear
  15. land — to come down
  16. stand — for spectators
  17. temple — side of the head
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. bat — in an idiom
  20. stand — on your feet
  21. land — a country
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. bat — the animal
  24. drill — army training

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