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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: last · temple · rock · arm · pit · deal · degree · stand

  1. False peace will not ________________.
  2. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  3. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  6. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  7. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  8. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. My father caught me by the ________________.
  11. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  12. When was this ________________ built?
  13. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  14. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  15. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  16. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  19. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  20. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  21. I can't ________________ this cold.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. Boris sat near the fire ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. rock — music
  3. arm — a part of something
  4. degree — from a university
  5. pit — in a race
  6. stand — on your feet
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. degree — an amount
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. rock — to move gently
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. deal — a big deal
  14. rock — a stone
  15. temple — side of the head
  16. deal — to handle
  17. last — finally
  18. deal — an agreement
  19. pit — a fruit stone
  20. stand — for spectators
  21. stand — to bear
  22. last — final
  23. degree — temperature
  24. pit — a hole

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