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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: march · temple · degree · bound · straw · court · jam · rest

  1. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  2. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  4. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  7. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  10. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. When was this ________________ built?
  18. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  24. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — tied together
  2. degree — temperature
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. rest — a break
  5. march — the month
  6. degree — an amount
  7. jam — to spread on bread
  8. march — the month
  9. rest — what's left
  10. temple — side of the head
  11. bound — certain
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. bound — obliged
  14. jam — a tight spot
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. march — music
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. jam — in traffic
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. court — for sport
  21. court — of law
  22. court — of a king
  23. rest — what's left
  24. degree — from a university

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