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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 120 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: degree · mug · land · drill · temple · object · deal · firm

  1. Where did you ________________ them?
  2. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  3. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  4. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  5. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  6. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  7. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  10. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  11. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  12. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  18. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  19. When was this ________________ built?
  20. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  21. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  22. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  23. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  24. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — to rob
  2. object — to protest
  3. mug — a face
  4. degree — an amount
  5. object — an aim
  6. firm — a company
  7. deal — a big deal
  8. degree — temperature
  9. temple — side of the head
  10. drill — the tool
  11. mug — a cup
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. land — ground
  14. land — to come down
  15. drill — army training
  16. land — a country
  17. object — a thing
  18. deal — to handle
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. drill — a practice
  21. firm — decided
  22. deal — an agreement
  23. firm — steady
  24. degree — from a university

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