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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: temple · wake · rule · degree · wound · key · snap · spell

  1. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. When was this ________________ built?
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  9. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  10. This piece is in a major ________________.
  11. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  12. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  15. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  18. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  19. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  20. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  21. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  22. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  23. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  24. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. wound — an injury
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. spell — magic
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. wake — a trail
  7. spell — letters
  8. temple — side of the head
  9. snap — to speak sharply
  10. key — in music
  11. key — the most important part
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. degree — temperature
  15. rule — government
  16. wound — an injury
  17. snap — to snap out of it
  18. wake — before a funeral
  19. rule — to rule out
  20. snap — to click
  21. degree — an amount
  22. key — for a lock
  23. rule — a law
  24. spell — a short time

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