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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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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 · lash · degree · ball · toast · bowl · ground · bark

  1. When was this ________________ built?
  2. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  3. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  6. The King held a masked ________________.
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  9. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  10. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  11. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  12. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  13. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  14. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  15. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  16. There's no middle ________________.
  17. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  18. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  19. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  20. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  21. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  22. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  23. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  24. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. ground — the earth
  3. bowl — to roll
  4. ground — crushed
  5. bowl — a dish
  6. ball — a dance
  7. degree — temperature
  8. ball — a great time
  9. lash — an eyelash
  10. toast — a drink to someone
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. bark — of a tree
  13. bowl — a football final
  14. lash — to lash out
  15. toast — bread
  16. ground — a position
  17. ball — a round shape
  18. toast — the most admired
  19. degree — an amount
  20. bark — to shout
  21. degree — from a university
  22. lash — a whip stroke
  23. bark — a dog's sound
  24. temple — side of the head

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