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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 · suit · arm · foot · bat · fan · spring · degree

  1. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  2. When will it ________________ you to start?
  3. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  4. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  12. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  17. My father caught me by the ________________.
  18. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  19. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. When was this ________________ built?
  22. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  23. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. suit — to fit
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. suit — clothes
  5. spring — the season
  6. spring — a coil
  7. foot — part of the body
  8. degree — from a university
  9. bat — the animal
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. foot — a measure
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. degree — an amount
  14. foot — the bottom
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. suit — in cards
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. fan — to cool the air
  19. temple — side of the head
  20. degree — temperature
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. arm — a part of something
  24. spring — of water

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