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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: cell · snap · capital · degree · temple · arm · ruler · pass

  1. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  7. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  8. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  9. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  10. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  13. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  14. He was locked up in a ________________.
  15. When was this ________________ built?
  16. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  17. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  18. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  19. My father caught me by the ________________.
  20. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  21. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  22. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  23. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  24. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. snap — to speak sharply
  3. degree — from a university
  4. degree — an amount
  5. capital — a city
  6. pass — to spend time
  7. capital — a big letter
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. pass — a permit
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. degree — temperature
  12. snap — to snap out of it
  13. arm — a part of something
  14. cell — in a prison
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. cell — a phone
  18. temple — side of the head
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. pass — to succeed
  21. cell — in biology
  22. snap — to click
  23. ruler — a monarch
  24. ruler — for measuring

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