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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 120 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: rock · degree · temple · lie · ball · season · hand · chest

  1. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  2. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  3. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  4. When was this ________________ built?
  5. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  15. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  16. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  17. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  18. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  19. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. The King held a masked ________________.
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  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. rock — a stone
  2. chest — of your body
  3. rock — to move gently
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. hand — help
  7. chest — of your body
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. degree — temperature
  11. degree — from a university
  12. degree — an amount
  13. season — in sport
  14. lie — to recline
  15. chest — a box
  16. rock — music
  17. ball — a round shape
  18. ball — a great time
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. season — of the year
  21. ball — a dance
  22. hand — in cards
  23. lie — an untruth
  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