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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: cue · rule · temple · degree · bat · cell · bank · bowl

  1. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  2. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  3. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  4. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  5. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  6. When was this ________________ built?
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  12. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. He was locked up in a ________________.
  15. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  18. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  19. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  20. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  21. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  22. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  23. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  24. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — an amount
  2. rule — a law
  3. bowl — to roll
  4. bank — of a river
  5. cue — a signal
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. degree — temperature
  8. degree — from a university
  9. temple — side of the head
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. bank — for money
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. cell — in a prison
  15. rule — to rule out
  16. bat — the animal
  17. cue — a hint
  18. bank — for money
  19. bowl — a dish
  20. bowl — a football final
  21. rule — government
  22. cue — for pool
  23. cell — a phone
  24. cell — in biology

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