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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 · ground · swing · kid · degree · mine · suit · drill

  1. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  2. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  3. David sat on the ________________.
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  6. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  7. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  8. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  9. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  10. When was this ________________ built?
  11. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  17. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  18. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  19. When will it ________________ you to start?
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  22. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  23. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  24. There's no middle ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. ground — the earth
  3. swing — to play on
  4. degree — temperature
  5. swing — in golf
  6. drill — army training
  7. kid — to tease
  8. suit — clothes
  9. drill — the tool
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. drill — a practice
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. suit — in cards
  14. mine — for digging
  15. ground — crushed
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. swing — music
  18. kid — child
  19. suit — to fit
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  22. degree — an amount
  23. temple — side of the head
  24. ground — a position

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