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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: rush · temple · shower · degree · deal · sharp · lie · clip

  1. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  2. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  5. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  8. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  9. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  15. When was this ________________ built?
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  20. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  21. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  22. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  23. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  24. It's one o'clock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — to wash
  2. shower — a meteor shower
  3. degree — from a university
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. temple — side of the head
  6. clip — to cut
  7. deal — to handle
  8. lie — to recline
  9. deal — an agreement
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. deal — a big deal
  12. sharp — clever
  13. degree — an amount
  14. degree — temperature
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. clip — for paper
  17. clip — a video
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. rush — hurry
  21. shower — rain
  22. rush — to hurry
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. sharp — exactly

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