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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.

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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: rest · temple · degree · perch · fork · lash · pass · court

  1. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  2. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  5. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  6. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  9. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  10. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  13. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  14. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  15. When was this ________________ built?
  16. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  17. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  18. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  19. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  24. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to succeed
  2. lash — to lash out
  3. court — of a king
  4. temple — side of the head
  5. lash — an eyelash
  6. pass — to spend time
  7. degree — temperature
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. rest — a break
  10. pass — a permit
  11. court — of law
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. rest — what's left
  14. rest — what's left
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. fork — a garden tool
  17. fork — in a road
  18. lash — a whip stroke
  19. perch — the fish
  20. degree — an amount
  21. degree — from a university
  22. court — for sport
  23. fork — to eat with
  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