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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: rest · toast · staff · temple · stock · pass · drill · degree

  1. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  2. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  3. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  11. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  12. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  13. When was this ________________ built?
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  16. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  17. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  18. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  21. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  24. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to succeed
  2. pass — a permit
  3. staff — employees
  4. degree — from a university
  5. drill — the tool
  6. stock — goods
  7. drill — a practice
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. degree — an amount
  10. stock — a soup base
  11. pass — to spend time
  12. rest — a break
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. drill — army training
  15. temple — side of the head
  16. toast — a drink to someone
  17. rest — what's left
  18. toast — the most admired
  19. stock — shares
  20. staff — employees
  21. toast — bread
  22. degree — temperature
  23. staff — a stick
  24. rest — what's left

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