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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: wave · degree · stick · cap · game · bowl · straw · temple

  1. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  2. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. When was this ________________ built?
  4. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  5. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  6. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  7. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  8. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  13. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  14. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  15. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  16. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  17. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  20. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  21. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  22. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — side of the head
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. cap — a hat
  5. stick — to attach or keep to
  6. cap — a lid
  7. degree — from a university
  8. wave — with your hand
  9. degree — temperature
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. game — wild animals
  12. cap — of ice
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. straw — dry grass
  15. bowl — a football final
  16. bowl — to roll
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. wave — a sudden rise
  20. wave — of the sea
  21. straw — a straw man
  22. degree — an amount
  23. game — a match
  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