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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
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: temple · capital · hide · track · degree · spell · arm · mine

  1. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  7. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  8. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  9. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  14. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  15. My father caught me by the ________________.
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. When was this ________________ built?
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  24. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — side of the head
  2. mine — for digging
  3. hide — animal skin
  4. track — a song
  5. degree — temperature
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. track — to keep track
  8. arm — a part of something
  9. capital — money
  10. spell — letters
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. capital — a big letter
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. spell — a short time
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. degree — an amount
  21. degree — from a university
  22. spell — magic
  23. capital — a city
  24. track — a path

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