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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 116 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: degree · sharp · stick · shower · nail · calf · hand · track

  1. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  7. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  8. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. The ________________ went through the wall.
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  19. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  20. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. hand — in cards
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. degree — an amount
  5. degree — from a university
  6. track — a song
  7. stick — to attach or keep to
  8. track — a path
  9. hand — help
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. sharp — clever
  12. shower — a meteor shower
  13. shower — to wash
  14. shower — rain
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. track — to keep track
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. calf — of the leg
  23. degree — temperature
  24. nail — on a finger

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