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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: degree · season · temple · net · stand · rule · snap · tear

  1. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  3. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  6. I can't ________________ this cold.
  7. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  10. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  16. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  17. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. When was this ________________ built?
  20. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  21. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  22. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. snap — to click
  3. tear — from crying
  4. season — in sport
  5. rule — a law
  6. stand — to bear
  7. rule — to rule out
  8. net — after costs
  9. temple — side of the head
  10. stand — on your feet
  11. net — for catching
  12. degree — temperature
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. degree — an amount
  15. snap — to speak sharply
  16. tear — from crying
  17. snap — to snap out of it
  18. season — of the year
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. stand — for spectators
  21. degree — from a university
  22. rule — government
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. tear — to rip

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