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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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Word bank
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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: temple · dip · degree · stick · game · row · fork · mine

  1. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  2. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  8. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  9. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  10. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. When was this ________________ built?
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  15. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  18. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  19. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  20. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  21. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  22. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  23. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. row — a quarrel
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. temple — side of the head
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. mine — for digging
  7. fork — in a road
  8. row — to paddle
  9. stick — to attach or keep to
  10. row — a line
  11. game — a match
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. degree — an amount
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. degree — temperature
  16. game — wild animals
  17. dip — a sauce
  18. fork — a garden tool
  19. dip — to sink
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. dip — to dunk
  23. fork — to eat with
  24. mine — belonging to me

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