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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: fork · suit · drill · race · degree · spring · scale · temple

  1. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  2. When was this ________________ built?
  3. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  6. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  7. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  8. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  9. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  10. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  11. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  12. When will it ________________ you to start?
  13. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  17. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  18. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  19. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  23. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  24. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.

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

Answer key

  1. race — a contest
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. race — humankind
  4. spring — the season
  5. fork — to eat with
  6. drill — army training
  7. degree — from a university
  8. scale — for weighing
  9. fork — in a road
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. fork — a garden tool
  12. suit — to fit
  13. race — the arms race
  14. drill — the tool
  15. drill — a practice
  16. suit — clothes
  17. scale — in music
  18. suit — in cards
  19. temple — side of the head
  20. spring — of water
  21. spring — a coil
  22. scale — size or range
  23. degree — an amount
  24. degree — temperature

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