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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: dip · plane · coach · cold · degree · ruler · capital · temple

  1. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. The water is too ________________.
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  7. When was this ________________ built?
  8. Have you met the new head ________________?
  9. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  10. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  11. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  12. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  13. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  14. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  15. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  16. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  17. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  18. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  19. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  20. The ________________ took off on time.
  21. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  22. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  23. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  24. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. cold — not warm
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. ruler — for measuring
  5. degree — from a university
  6. degree — an amount
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. capital — a city
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. dip — to sink
  13. dip — to dunk
  14. cold — the Cold War
  15. temple — side of the head
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. plane — a tool
  18. plane — in geometry
  19. capital — a big letter
  20. plane — an aircraft
  21. ruler — a monarch
  22. cold — an illness
  23. dip — a sauce
  24. capital — money

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