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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: pass · pop · snap · degree · rule · bay · temple · game

  1. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  2. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  4. My mare is ________________ in color.
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  7. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  8. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  9. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  10. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  13. You don't need to ________________ round.
  14. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  15. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. We're almost out of ________________.
  21. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  22. When was this ________________ built?
  23. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  24. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — a law
  2. pop — music
  3. bay — a part of the sea
  4. bay — a horse colour
  5. snap — to click
  6. bay — to keep at bay
  7. snap — to snap out of it
  8. snap — to speak sharply
  9. rule — government
  10. pass — to spend time
  11. degree — an amount
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. pop — to visit
  14. degree — temperature
  15. temple — side of the head
  16. game — a match
  17. pass — a permit
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. game — wild animals
  20. pop — soda
  21. rule — to rule out
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. degree — from a university
  24. pass — to succeed

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