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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: mouse · rule · race · net · degree · temple · cell · cabinet

  1. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  2. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  5. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. When was this ________________ built?
  10. He was locked up in a ________________.
  11. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  12. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  13. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  14. What do you think of the new ________________?
  15. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  16. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  17. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  18. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  19. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  20. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  21. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  24. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. race — a contest
  3. net — for catching
  4. rule — to rule out
  5. rule — government
  6. net — in sport
  7. net — after costs
  8. degree — an amount
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. cell — in a prison
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. rule — a law
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. mouse — for a computer
  16. cell — a phone
  17. race — the arms race
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. cabinet — a cupboard
  20. temple — side of the head
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. degree — temperature
  23. cell — in biology
  24. race — humankind

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