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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: temple · mouse · face · degree · game · straw · last · bore

  1. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. When was this ________________ built?
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  6. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  14. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  15. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  16. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  17. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  24. Should I buy a wireless ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. last — to go on
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. bore — gave birth
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. game — a match
  9. degree — from a university
  10. degree — temperature
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. face — part of the head
  13. temple — side of the head
  14. bore — to drill
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. bore — to tire
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. game — wild animals
  20. last — finally
  21. degree — an amount
  22. last — final
  23. face — to point toward
  24. mouse — for a computer

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