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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: snap · rest · temple · game · degree · row · fork · last

  1. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  2. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  3. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  4. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  5. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  6. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  7. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  8. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  9. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  16. When was this ________________ built?
  17. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  18. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  19. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  23. False peace will not ________________.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. rest — what's left
  3. fork — a garden tool
  4. row — a quarrel
  5. snap — to snap out of it
  6. snap — to speak sharply
  7. fork — in a road
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. rest — a break
  10. degree — an amount
  11. game — wild animals
  12. row — to paddle
  13. degree — temperature
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. degree — from a university
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. temple — side of the head
  18. row — a line
  19. fork — to eat with
  20. game — a match
  21. last — finally
  22. snap — to click
  23. last — to go on
  24. last — final

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