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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: temple · mark · saw · fan · key · pop · clip · degree

  1. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  2. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  3. We're almost out of ________________.
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. This piece is in a major ________________.
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. She's very handy with a ________________.
  15. When was this ________________ built?
  16. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  17. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  18. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  19. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  22. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  23. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  24. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — to pay attention
  2. saw — past of 'see'
  3. pop — soda
  4. degree — temperature
  5. pop — to visit
  6. clip — to cut
  7. key — in music
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. degree — an amount
  10. key — for a lock
  11. clip — for paper
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. clip — a video
  14. saw — the tool
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. mark — a trace
  17. temple — side of the head
  18. fan — to cool the air
  19. key — the most important part
  20. saw — the tool
  21. pop — music
  22. mark — a grade
  23. degree — from a university
  24. temple — a place of worship

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