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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: chest · ruler · degree · mark · hand · temple · cue · mate

  1. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  2. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. When was this ________________ built?
  5. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  8. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  9. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  10. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  13. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  16. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  17. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  18. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  22. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  23. Have you found your soul ________________?
  24. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. temple — side of the head
  3. degree — an amount
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. mate — to breed
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. ruler — a monarch
  10. cue — a signal
  11. degree — from a university
  12. mate — a friend
  13. mark — a grade
  14. hand — help
  15. cue — for pool
  16. chest — a box
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. mark — to pay attention
  19. hand — in cards
  20. degree — temperature
  21. mark — a trace
  22. cue — a hint
  23. mate — a partner
  24. chest — of your body

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