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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: sharp · snap · degree · temple · mate · nail · spell · track

  1. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  2. When was this ________________ built?
  3. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  4. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  7. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  15. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?
  19. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  20. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  21. The ________________ went through the wall.
  22. How do you ________________ your surname?
  23. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  24. This knife is not ________________ enough.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. nail — on a finger
  4. snap — to click
  5. degree — temperature
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. temple — side of the head
  8. spell — magic
  9. spell — a short time
  10. degree — from a university
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. track — a song
  13. mate — a friend
  14. snap — to speak sharply
  15. snap — to snap out of it
  16. degree — an amount
  17. track — to keep track
  18. mate — a partner
  19. track — a path
  20. mate — to breed
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. spell — letters
  23. sharp — clever
  24. sharp — with an edge

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