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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: sharp · rush · temple · file · degree · pop · snap · scale

  1. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  2. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  3. We're almost out of ________________.
  4. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  12. When was this ________________ built?
  13. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  14. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  19. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  20. You don't need to ________________ round.
  21. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  24. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to speak sharply
  2. scale — size or range
  3. pop — soda
  4. rush — to hurry
  5. rush — hurry
  6. file — a line of people
  7. degree — an amount
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. degree — temperature
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. scale — for weighing
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. snap — to click
  14. snap — to snap out of it
  15. file — a document
  16. file — a tool
  17. sharp — clever
  18. degree — from a university
  19. temple — side of the head
  20. pop — to visit
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. scale — in music
  24. pop — music

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