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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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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: degree · season · pass · temple · last · kid · bowl · mug

  1. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  2. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. When was this ________________ built?
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  16. Where did you ________________ them?
  17. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  19. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  20. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  21. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  22. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  23. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  24. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to spend time
  2. mug — a cup
  3. degree — from a university
  4. mug — a face
  5. last — to go on
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. degree — an amount
  8. season — in sport
  9. season — of the year
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. degree — temperature
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. last — finally
  14. kid — to tease
  15. kid — child
  16. mug — to rob
  17. pass — to succeed
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  19. last — final
  20. bowl — a football final
  21. pass — a permit
  22. temple — side of the head
  23. bowl — to roll
  24. bowl — a dish

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