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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: land · rash · snap · temple · degree · cap · court · rush

  1. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  2. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  3. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  4. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  12. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  13. When was this ________________ built?
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  16. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  17. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  18. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. The ball is in your ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. rash — on the skin
  3. snap — to speak sharply
  4. temple — side of the head
  5. land — to come down
  6. court — of law
  7. land — ground
  8. degree — temperature
  9. cap — of ice
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. snap — to click
  12. cap — a hat
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. court — of a king
  15. snap — to snap out of it
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. cap — a lid
  18. rush — hurry
  19. degree — from a university
  20. rush — to hurry
  21. rash — hasty
  22. degree — an amount
  23. rash — a series
  24. court — for sport

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