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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: file · straw · degree · nail · temple · hand

  1. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  2. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  3. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  4. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  5. The ________________ went through the wall.
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  11. When was this ________________ built?
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a line of people
  2. straw — a straw man
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. degree — from a university
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. nail — on a finger
  9. hand — help
  10. temple — side of the head
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. degree — an amount
  13. file — a tool
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. degree — temperature
  17. hand — in cards
  18. file — a document

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