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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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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: clip · temple · bank · snap · lie · degree · board · pit

  1. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  2. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  3. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  4. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  5. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  8. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  11. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  12. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  13. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  14. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  15. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  16. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  19. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  20. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  23. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  24. When was this ________________ built?

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. snap — to click
  3. snap — to snap out of it
  4. bank — of a river
  5. pit — in a race
  6. clip — to cut
  7. board — to get on
  8. lie — to recline
  9. degree — temperature
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. snap — to speak sharply
  12. temple — side of the head
  13. board — a committee
  14. bank — for money
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. pit — a fruit stone
  17. clip — a video
  18. pit — a hole
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. bank — for money
  21. clip — for paper
  22. degree — an amount
  23. board — a flat piece
  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