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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: present · temple · lash · racket · mate · toast · club · degree

  1. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  2. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. When was this ________________ built?
  5. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  6. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  7. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  8. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  11. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  14. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  15. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  16. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  17. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  18. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  19. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  20. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  21. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  22. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  23. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  24. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for dancing
  2. lash — to lash out
  3. mate — a partner
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. club — for golf
  6. present — there
  7. temple — side of the head
  8. toast — a drink to someone
  9. degree — an amount
  10. present — a gift
  11. mate — a friend
  12. degree — temperature
  13. racket — a loud noise
  14. mate — to breed
  15. degree — from a university
  16. lash — an eyelash
  17. present — the time now
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. toast — bread
  20. lash — a whip stroke
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. club — a group
  23. toast — the most admired
  24. racket — for tennis

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