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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
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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: saw · bowl · temple · pit · staff · spell · last · degree

  1. False peace will not ________________.
  2. She's very handy with a ________________.
  3. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  4. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  5. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  6. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  7. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  8. When was this ________________ built?
  9. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  10. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  11. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  12. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  15. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  20. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  21. How do you ________________ your surname?
  22. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  23. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. saw — the tool
  3. saw — past of 'see'
  4. staff — a stick
  5. spell — a short time
  6. pit — a fruit stone
  7. staff — employees
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. bowl — to roll
  10. bowl — a football final
  11. bowl — a dish
  12. pit — in a race
  13. degree — an amount
  14. staff — employees
  15. degree — temperature
  16. last — final
  17. pit — a hole
  18. last — finally
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. spell — magic
  21. spell — letters
  22. degree — from a university
  23. temple — side of the head
  24. saw — the tool

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