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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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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: snap · jam · bark · kick · rock · drill · degree · temple

  1. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  2. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  3. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  4. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  5. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  6. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  9. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. When was this ________________ built?
  12. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  13. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  14. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  15. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  16. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  17. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  19. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  20. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  21. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  22. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  23. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  24. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — the tool
  2. rock — to move gently
  3. kick — in football
  4. bark — of a tree
  5. snap — to speak sharply
  6. bark — to shout
  7. degree — an amount
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. snap — to click
  10. degree — from a university
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. jam — a tight spot
  13. drill — a practice
  14. rock — music
  15. kick — with a leg
  16. drill — army training
  17. rock — a stone
  18. degree — temperature
  19. snap — to snap out of it
  20. jam — to spread on bread
  21. kick — a thrill
  22. jam — in traffic
  23. bark — a dog's sound
  24. temple — side of the head

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